Evaluation of leaf litter baits for sampling insects in Bulalon Cave, Burdeos, Polillo Island, Quezon.

Date

4-2011

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Biology

College

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Ireneo L. Lit Jr.

Abstract

Dry and wet leaf litter baits were evaluated in terms of their efficiency (number of individuals collected) and effectiveness (number of species detected) for possible adoption as part of standard protocol for collecting insects and other arthropods in cave biodiversity surveys and cave ecology studies. Baits were supplied through traps modified from Slaney and Weinstein's 1996 design and were used to collect insects from the entrance, twilight and dark zones of Bulalon Cave, Burdeos, Polillo Island. Quezon. Altogether, the 18 traps collected a total of 1.822 insects. identified to 102 species, 54 families and 11 orders, with the general assumption that each morphologically different individual belonged to a different species or morpho-species. The two baits did not differ significantly (a = 0.05) in terms of average efficiency and effectiveness in all of the three zones in the cave. However, the taxonomic composition of the catches of the two traps were different (1Ss: entrance zone = 52.174, twilight zone = 55.814. dark zone = 49.123). The results suggest that both traps should be used in tandem with visual and other methods if a collection representative of the entire cave insect community is desired. In terms of cave ecology, leaf litter baits also enabled collection of insect species representing various functional guilds. hence, indicating that the baits may be employed also for studies of insects and other arthropods in the cave floor community.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

Thesis

Document Type

Thesis

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