Fogging and Flight Interception Traps-The Evaluation of Two Methods to Collect Canopy Arthropods

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Entomology
• Forest Science

Background:

• Forest canopies harbor diverse species but are challenging to sample.
• Flight intercept traps (FITs) and insecticidal knockdown (FOGGING) are common methods for canopy arthropod sampling.
• Systematic comparisons of FITs and FOGGING for taxonomic and ecological coverage are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare the taxonomic and ecological coverage of FITs and FOGGING for canopy arthropod sampling.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of each method in representing arthropod community structure and traits.
• To determine which method provides a more comprehensive basis for ecological conclusions.

Main Methods:

• Sampling arthropods over three months in nine forest plots within Germany's Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve.
• Utilizing both FITs and FOGGING on two dominant tree species.
• Analyzing taxonomic composition, sample coverage, beta diversity, and community-level metrics.

Main Results:

• FOGGING captured significantly more individuals (~1000/month) than FITs (~100/month), yielding broader taxonomic and ecological representation.
• FOGGING achieved higher sample coverage for Coleoptera across taxonomic levels compared to FITs.
• FITs showed higher beta diversity due to stochastic sampling of rare species, while FOGGING sampled more consistent communities.

Conclusions:

• FOGGING provides a more comprehensive representation of forest canopy arthropod communities, supporting stronger ecological conclusions.
• FITs and FOGGING are complementary rather than interchangeable sampling methods.
• The choice of sampling method should be carefully tailored to specific research questions in forest ecology.