Long-Term Studies of Ground-Dwelling ArthropodBiodiversity at Bandelier National Monument
Brantley SL, Lightfoot DC, Fagerlund RA. 2003. Long-Term Studies of Ground-Dwelling ArthropodBiodiversity at Bandelier National Monument. Contract OM Order no. 2-MESA-1071. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico. Albuquerque, NM
This annual report summarizes recent results of an on-going long-term monitoring study of ground-dwelling arthropods at Bandelier National Monument that was initiated in 1992. Interannual variation in abundance is notoriously high in arthropod populations so that long-term monitoring is necessary to detect changes that may be due to climate or land use shifts. Studies of mountain ground-dwelling arthropods in the U.S. have been few, especially at the community level. The Bandelier study was designed to describe patterns of these communities across an elevation gradient and to associate those changes with large-scale weather patterns, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which has a strong impact on the southwestern U.S. From long-term study we gain baseline data to compare with responses to abnormally dry (La Niña) or wet (El Niño) years and to detect possible time lags in responses.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Brantley, Sandra; Lightfoot, David; Fagerlund, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 2003-06-30
- Publisher
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
- Units
- BAND
- Keywords
- Arthropods, ground-dwelling arthropods, Invertebrates, Monitoring