Insect utilization of a two-track as a meadow habitat corridor into a forest area.

Abstract

Corridors have been proposed to facilitate movement of vertebrates between fragmented habitat areas; however, little consideration has been given to the possible use of corridors by invertebrates. This study examined whether meadow-dwelling insects would use a two-track running through the meadow and into a forest as a corridor into the wooded area. Pitfall traps were set for 36 hours, and the trapped insects classified to taxonomic order. The sample sizes proved to be inadequate to determine the significance of the data. However, with improvements in experimental design, such as different trapping methods, larger sample sizes, and finer taxonomic classifications, interesting patterns may emerge. Many other questions involving insects and conservation biology remain to be investigated as well; these include the effect of fragmentation on insects, the need for corridors to preserve insect metapopulations, and the risks of active management of insect species.