Grasslands Insect Abundance With Sweep Net Usage

For this afternoon field experiment, held on Monday October 27, 2014, data was collected throughout the York University Keele Campus’s woodlot from approximately 2:45PM - 5:00PM. The actual weather forecast (courtesy of http://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/toronto/m5g/october-weather/55488) for that time of day varied anywhere from as low as 1ᵒC to as high as 12ᵒC. The execution component of the group designed experiment consisted of four males, one of which included myself. All four team members worked collectively as a group to conduct the experiment and collect the appropriate data (low grassland v.s. high grassland) so as to ensure the most accurate results. To conduct this experiment one needs to gather all of the required materials (pens/pencils plus lined paper for tabulation of results, a line transect along with a sweep net, and quite possibly an insect dichotomous key) beforehand. Make sure to assign two distinct areas (high grassland v.s. low grassland) to be eventually studied and experimentally analyzed near the York University Grasslands area. This is because as a group, members will be responsible to carry out the experiment involving a line transect and a sweep net. A sweep net collectively with a line transect will be utilized in order to sweep both insect(s) and spider(s) within areas of each of the two separate chosen spots of grassland. Walk transects (predetermined distance wherein all target organisms that are touching the tape/rope is sampled or where distance to the line is measured) in the grassland for a specified length of time (key variable to record as the longer one sweeps the likelihood of more being caught) and record total number of captured insects and spiders in combination with the total number of unique and recognizable insect taxonomic units (rtus) detected for each trial/replicate. Repeat approximately ten to twenty times (preferably fifteen trials conducted in both grassland types) throughout the given area being tested.