Arthropod Pitfall Traps-III in 5x1 grid at LTER II NPP sites

Objectives. Desertification is hypothesized to have
altered the spatial and temporal availability of resources
required by the biota. Results of desertification on the
Jornada include changes to shrub dominated communities and
major soil changes. We hypothesize that these shifts in
vegetation have changed resources temporally for many of the
consumers. If grassland systems respond to rainfall without
significant lags, but shrub systems do not, then consumer
species should reflect these differences. In addition,
shifts from grassland to shrubland results in greater
structural heterogeneity of the habitats. We have
hypothesized that consumer populations, diversity, and
densities of some consumers will be higher in grasslands
than in shrublands. Diversity and/or densities are
hypothesized to be related to the NPP of the sites. Data
will be collected for the duration of the LTER program in
order to provide data to test these hypotheses.
Data for arthropods captured in pitfall traps on LTER
III consumer plots at 2 month intervals. Data includes
order, family, genus, species, and number.