Dispatches From The Field

8 July, 2003 -- Ted Gilliland

We spent the day checking and setting insect traps. I am helping to train Malagasy biodiversity specialists that work for the Madagascar National Park Service (ANGAP). I didn't expect to actually be training people this summer - I start my first year as a Duke undergrad this Fall! In collaboration, my Malagasy colleagues from ANGAP, the University of Antananarivo and I are trying determine if the fragmentation of Madagascar's dry forests is negatively affecting insect diversity within such a unique habitat.

Fragmentation is a major problem all around the world, but particularly in the dry forests of western Madagascar. Within Ankarafantsika National Park, we have chosen several small fragments and one large tract of dry forest to use as study sites. We will collect insects within each of these areas and determine what percent of the insect families found in the healthy tracts of forest are still present within the isolated fragments. Sweep netting and pitfalls traps are the two methods that we will be using to sample. Sweep netting, which uses a typical butterfly net with a sturdy canvas net, captures insects on vegetation and in the air. Pitfall traps, which are essentially plastic buckets laid into the ground, capture terrestrial insects that fall into the trap and cannot climb up the slippery plastic walls. All next week we will be collecting, which will require a massive amount of hiking and manual labor, but we can handle it!