ESA Annual Meetings Online Program
Comparison of the Silphidae in various habitats at Hawn State Park, Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri
Several species of carrion beetles (Silphidae) are known to occur in Missouri, but limited comparative data exist across habitat types in terms of species abundance and richness. To determine a potential habitat preference among silphid beetles, Hawn State Park in central Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, was chosen because it is a large area (ca. 2004 hectares) with considerable habitat diversity, including old fields in recovery, glades, oak-hickory forest, and pine woodlots. Within each of these four habitat types, twenty-one, one-liter, live pitfall traps were placed, for a total of 84 traps. The traps were placed at 10-meter intervals along three transects and centrally located within each habitat to avoid possible edge effects. During each of six consecutive months (May – October 2012), seven of the twenty-one pitfall traps were randomly selected, baited with a conditioned mouse carcass, and opened for a 36-hour period. Samples were then gathered and sorted, with silphid beetles identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Preliminary results and associated statistical analyses will be reported in this poster presentation.
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