Experiment designed to determine insect abundance and diversity at different times of day

The experiment was conducted to determine the insects abundance at day (8 A.M. to 8 P.M.) and night (8 P.M. to 8 A.M.) and if factors such as temperature and plant density have an effect on abundance. It was conducted in grassland located by Stong Pong, York University. Pit traps filled with soap water were setup on October 14, 2014 and the data were collected and recorded from October 15, 2014 to October 21, 2014. 3 random locations within the grassland were chosen and a transect line was used to setup 5 pit traps, each 5 meters apart, on each location. Each pit trap was observed, pictured, and required data (insect abundance and insect diversity) were collected twice each day at 8 A.M and 8 P.M. After each collection, pit traps were cleaned out and refilled with soap water and placed at the exact same location. Plant density around each pit trap was also visually observed and recorded along with the average temperature of each day during the entire experiment. In order to exclude complex environmental factors, data obtained during rainy days were ignored.