NEON Biorepository Invertebrate Bycatch Collection (Trap Sorting)

This collection contains adult non-Carabid or larval invertebrates collected as bycatch during pitfall sampling at terrestrial sites (NEON sample class: bet_sorting_in.subsampleid.ib). Ground beetles are sampled using pitfall traps (16 oz deli containers filled with 150 or 250 mL of propylene glycol). Four traps are deployed in each of 10 plots at each terrestrial NEON site (40 traps per site), with traps arrayed approximately 20 meters from the center of the plot in each of the four cardinal directions. Sampling occurs biweekly throughout the growing season (when temperatures are above 4 degrees C). Invertebrate bycatch is pooled into a single archive vial per plot and preserved in 95% ethanol. See related links below for protocols and NEON related data products.