DOI: 10.6073/pasta/b8be7d677e32519e64ab8cb18013c128
title: Long-term monitoring of ground-dwelling arthropods in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve,
      Scottsdale, Arizona, ongoing since 2012 (Reformatted to ecocomDP Design Pattern)

description: This data package is formatted according to the "ecocomDP", a data package design pattern for ecological community surveys, and data from studies of composition and biodiversity. For more information on the ecocomDP project see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP/tree/master, or contact EDI https://environmentaldatainitiative.org.

This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-cap&identifier=643&revision=1

The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context:

Project overview

 Protected lands, such as the McDowell Sonoran Preserve (hereafter referred to as the
        Preserve) in Scottsdale, Arizona, provide critical refuge for native biota and natural,
        ecological processes within and near urban environments. At the same time, a key feature
        that makes urban, open-space preserves so valuable − their proximity to urban areas − places
        strain on the ecological integrity of these systems through visitation, habitat
        fragmentation, and the introduction of exotic species among others. Effective management of
        these systems requires detailed knowledge of the biota within the protected area, and
        monitoring of ecological indicators through time. Arthropods are well suited to monitoring
        ecological health. This diverse group of organisms typically reflects overall biological
        diversity of a system, and includes several trophic levels; their short generation times
        mean they will likely respond quickly to change; and they are relatively easy to sample. As
        part of a broad effort by the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy Field Institute, an organization
        that oversees science and research in Preserve, to establish a baseline inventory of biota
        in the Preserve, investigators with the Central Arizona−Phoenix Long-Term Ecological
        Research (CAP LTER) program at Arizona State University (ASU) in collaboration with Field
        Institute Citizen Scientists are monitoring ground-dwelling arthropods at select locations
        that reflect a diversity of habitat within the Preserve. Investigators employ a sampling
        design that is intended to provide insight regarding influence of the urban-wildland
        interface on the arthropod community within the protected area. The simple but effective
        technique of pitfall trapping is used to sample ground-dwelling arthropods at select
        locations spanning a wide range of habitat with the Preserve. Additional collections of
        vegetation-dwelling arthropods have been conducted at the sampling locations at periodic
        intervals. 

Project design and sampling

 Pitfall trap transect locations include five groups of paired transects that span a
        large range of the north-south and east-west axes of the Preserve, and include numerous
        unique vegetation communities. Four transect pairs are positioned such that one transect is
        within 100 m of the Preserve boundary and existing development, and the second transect at
        least 0.5 km from the Preserve boundary-development. A fifth paired transect treated as a
        control is located in a similar fashion but at a location where there is not currently
        development near the Preserve boundary (Dixie Mine and Prospector sites). Transect locations
        were selected specifically to include relatively similar geomorphological characteristics,
        including elevation (610-914 m), slope (≤ 20%), and aspect (0-270°, 315-360°) to minimize
        extraneous factors. All transects are positioned within 75 m of existing trails to
        facilitate access and limit off-trail travel while keeping traps out of public view.
        Sampling is conducted quarterly in keeping with CAP LTER protocols and concomitant sampling
        at other Valley location.