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Characterizing Movement of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods with a Novel Mark-Capture Method Using Fluorescent Powder

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Abstract

A major knowledge gap exists in understanding dispersal potential of ground-dwelling arthropods, especially in forest ecosystems. Movement of the ground-dwelling arthropod community was quantified using a novel mark-capture technique in which three different colored fluorescent powders in two separate mixtures were applied to the floor of a deciduous forest in concentric bands 3, 8, and 15 m from the center of 30 × 30 m experimental plots. The majority (67.1%) of ground-dwelling arthropods did not cross a colored band when fluorescents were mixed with protein powder in 2014. However, when mixed with sand in 2015, 77.3% of captured arthropods were marked with fluorescent powder, with the majority of individuals crossing one band (41.2%), suggesting limited dispersal by most individuals in the community. Only 2.8% and 15.0% of arthropods crossed all three bands in 2014 and 2015, respectively, which further indicates that individuals have limited dispersal. Responses were taxon-specific, and a high proportion of some arthropods such as millipedes and harvestmen crossed two or three bands. Limited dispersal by most individuals may have important implications for the structure and distribution of ground-dwelling arthropod communities, as well as their responses to natural or anthropogenic disturbances. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of this novel technique for self-marking and capturing individuals in the field to investigate dispersal of ground-dwelling arthropods.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Vargas-Loyo, K. Taylor, P. Snyder, C. Bonilla-Sanchez, C. Granger, D. Hartzler, V. Gauthier, A. Wade, N. Sharpe, (The Ohio State University), S. Ankney, E. Thorne, K. Curtin, G. Petree IV (Powdermill Nature Reserve) for assistance in the field and laboratory. D. Ross for generously providing the fluorescent powder. P. Curtin for permission to use her photographs taken in the field. C. Lindsay (Powdermill Nature Reserve) for facilitating access to lodging and field sites. Two anonymous reviewers provided helpful comments that improved the manuscript. Funding for this research was provided by state and federal funds appropriated to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and The Ohio State University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH, 44691, USA

    Kayla I. Perry & Daniel A. Herms

  2. Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 312H Aiken Center, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    Kimberly F. Wallin

  3. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 313A Aiken, Burlington, VT, 05403, USA

    Kimberly F. Wallin

  4. Powdermill Nature Reserve, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 1847 PA-381, Rector, PA, 15677, USA

    John W. Wenzel

Authors
  1. Kayla I. Perry
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  2. Kimberly F. Wallin
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  3. John W. Wenzel
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  4. Daniel A. Herms
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Correspondence to Kayla I. Perry.

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Perry, K.I., Wallin, K.F., Wenzel, J.W. et al. Characterizing Movement of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods with a Novel Mark-Capture Method Using Fluorescent Powder. J Insect Behav 30, 32–47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-017-9598-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10905-017-9598-0

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