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Optimising the sampling window for moth indicator communities

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Abstract

In this paper we establish the best period for sampling moth communities within the first half of the night. We stress the importance of sampling duration in ecological studies that use moths as an indicator taxon, because sample composition changes throughout the night due to individual species flight behaviour. A total of 20,744 individuals belonging to 562 species were analysed using diversity and similarity indices. Between-site sub sample comparisons were found to have low discriminant ability when they included the first hour of the night. Moreover, the moth community sampled at this time showed a low identity with other sampled portions of the same community, probably because generalist species were present in all the four surveyed sites at this time. In order to minimise sampling bias, we suggest using three hour-long surveys when the first hour after dusk is included in the sample, using Fisher’s α for diversity ranking when different sampling durations are used at different sites.

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Acknowledgments

The critical comments of two anonymous reviewers helped us improve this manuscript. Work was supported financially by the Museo di Storia Naturale della Calabria e Orto Botanico, Italy, president prof. P. Brandmayr. Rothamsted Research receives grant-aided support from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRA Centro di Ricerca per l’Olivicoltura e l’Industria Olearia, Rende, Italy

    Stefano Scalercio

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e dell’Ambiente “Prof. G. Stagno d’Alcontres”, Università degli Studi, Messina, Italy

    Marco Infusino

  3. Plant and Invertebrate Ecology Department, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK

    Ian P. Woiwod

Authors
  1. Stefano Scalercio
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  2. Marco Infusino
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  3. Ian P. Woiwod
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Correspondence to Stefano Scalercio.

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Scalercio, S., Infusino, M. & Woiwod, I.P. Optimising the sampling window for moth indicator communities. J Insect Conserv 13, 583–591 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-008-9206-x

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