Ecology week 4 Lab : Number of insects captured and Number of RTUs within 3 Different Coloured Pan Traps in Grasslands and Woodlot

The purpose of this lab was to collect 4 data sets to familiarize yourself with sampling tools and publishing datasets individually. I was responsible for the pan trap data set. My partners Krystal and Sumera were responsible for the distance based data set and quadrat data set. Mustafa and I worked hand in hand for my personal data set and his whichb was the sweep net data set. Our discussion of the lab took place in room 118 of the Lumbars building at York University on Monday September 28th 2015 at 2:30pm. We then proceeded to the Danby woodlot also located at york Univeristy. It was a rainy and cloudy day with winds at 10km/h a 2 on the beaufort scale and 18 degrees celsius. For the pan trap data set the materials needed were 20 bowls, 10 for the woodlot and 10 for the grassland located behind the woodlot. We also needed a pair of tweezers and small strainer (this is used to sort the insects in data collection). I strategically placed the bowls alternating colours in a straight line, 6 steps between each on the edge of the grassland and in the woodlot from the centre clearing into the heavy wooded area. There were 4 yellow bowls, 3 white bowls and 3 blue bowls per grassland and woodlot. Each bowl was filled with soapy water and placed on in its chosen position at approximately 3:15pm. Giving an hour gap to make sure there was time for insects to find their way into the bowl. Whilst waiting through that hour I helped Mustafa contiue his sweepnet data set. After an hour had passed my whole group went to observe and collect the data from each bowl, we siffed the soapy water through the strainer and used the tweezers to pick up each insect individual. I then noted what colour bowl it was, how many insects were found in the bowl total and how many RTU’s which is the recgonizable taxanomic units could be distinguished. This was repeated for each bowl in both the grassland and woodlot. We then emptied the bowls collected the materials and made our way back to room 118 lumbars building. The data was then placed in an excel file and uploaded to figshare.