Large variation of suction sampling efficiency depending on arthropod groups,species traits,and habitat properties

Suction sampling is widely used to estimate arthropod abundance and diversity. To test the reliability of abundance data derived from suction sampling, we examined sampling efficiency across a wide range of arthropod groups and tested for effects of species traits, vegetation density, and differences between sites. Suction sampling efficiency was quantified by vacuuming an enclosed meadow area and subsequent removal of the turf, which was treated with heat extraction to collect the remaining arthropods. We obtained 250 pairs of suction and turf samples from seven grasslands with variable vegetation density. High suction sampling efficiencies between 49 and 86% were obtained for Auchenorrhyncha, Heteroptera, Araneida, Curculionoidea, Hymenoptera, and Diptera. In contrast, efficiencies were below 30% for Aphidae, Thysanoptera, Staphylinidae and other Coleoptera, and for soil arthropods such as Collembola, Isopoda, Diplopoda, and Formicidae. Efficiency varied significantly among habitats (sites) for most groups, often more than two‐fold. Surprisingly, sampling efficiency for Hymenoptera, Diplopoda, and Collembola increased with vegetation density, probably because aboveground activity of these taxa was higher in dense vegetation. Suction sampling was nearly twice as efficient for spiders living in the vegetation than for spiders living near the soil surface, and cursorial and large‐bodied spider species were more efficiently sampled than web‐builders and small species. Depending on the sampling effort, suction sampling missed between 49% (one sample) and 31% (250 samples) of the spider species present. Suction sampling efficiency varied more strongly among sites and among arthropod groups than previously recognized. Abundance data derived from suction sampling are strongly underestimated, especially for arthropods living near the soil surface. Thus, comparisons of abundance and diversity between sites should be restricted to vegetation‐dwelling species of the most efficiently sampled groups. The positive relationship of sampling efficiency with vegetation density demonstrates that variation in efficiency is mediated by arthropod behaviour.     

天然和人工固沙灌木林蜘蛛和甲虫分布与环境因子的关系

干旱区人工植被恢复驱动的土地利用变化强烈影响了地表和土栖的节肢动物群落结构及多样性。然而,我们对地表节肢动物群落关键类群-蜘蛛和甲虫对固沙植被恢复的响应及与环境变化关系的认识还很有限。以天然固沙灌木林和2种人工固沙灌木林为研究对象,运用方差分析和多变量分析等方法定量研究了干旱区天然和人工固沙植被区地表蜘蛛和甲虫分布特征及影响要素。结果表明,天然灌木林与人工梭梭、柽柳林地表蜘蛛和甲虫群落组成明显不同,人工梭梭、柽柳林地表蜘蛛活动密度和甲虫多样性均显著高于天然灌木林,而地表甲虫密度和蜘蛛多样性变化与之相反。两种人工固沙灌木林之间蜘蛛和甲虫群落组成也存在一定差异,人工柽柳林地表蜘蛛活动密度、多样性和甲虫物种丰富度均显著高于人工梭梭林。进一步分析发现,蜘蛛群落中狼蛛科、平腹蛛科、皿蛛亚科和球蛛科与甲虫群落中拟步甲科、步甲科和象甲科等一些甲虫种属对3种生境的选择模式不同决定了蜘蛛和甲虫群落聚集结构。植被、土壤环境因子与蜘蛛和甲虫pRDA和pCCA结果表明,草本生物量、凋落物量、土壤含砂量、电导率和灌木盖度是影响蜘蛛分布的主要环境因子,它们解释了82.1%的蜘蛛群落变异;灌木盖度、草本生物量、土壤pH和砂含量是影响甲虫群落分布的主要环境因子,它们解释了60.6%的甲虫群落变异。总之,人工固沙灌木恢复影响了植被和土壤环境,它们相互作用改变了荒漠-绿洲过渡区蜘蛛和甲虫等地表节肢动物的分布格局。     

Spider community responses to grassland restoration: balancing trade‐offs between abundance and diversity

Spiders (Araneae) play key roles in ecosystems, not only as common and abundant generalist predators, but also as major contributors to biodiversity in many areas. In addition, due to their short generation times and high mobility, spiders respond rapidly to small changes in their environment, potentially making them useful indicators for restoration monitoring. However, few studies have focused on spider responses to grassland restoration in the United States. We compared degraded, native, and restored grassland sites to examine how spider communities and habitat respond to arid grassland restoration. We also examined how responses varied with the age of the restoration project. Spider communities in native sites differed from those in restored and degraded sites in several ways: native sites had fewer spiders and a different community composition than degraded and restored sites. However, native and restored sites had more species than degraded sites. Chronosequence data showed trends for lower abundance, higher species richness, and changing community composition as restoration projects mature. Several habitat variables were closely linked to variation in spider communities including cover of invasive annual grasses, litter, and biological soil crusts. Our data suggest that spider and vegetation responses to grassland restoration efforts can be successful in the long term—with resulting communities becoming more similar to native ones—and that spiders are useful indictors of grassland restoration. Our results also suggest that restoration may involve balancing trade‐offs between ecosystem services, with potential losses in predatory control offset by increases in biodiversity with restoration effort.     

Bromeliad architectural complexity and vertical distribution predict spider abundance and richness

Habitat complexity is a main predictor of the distribution of arthropods on vegetation. However, it remains poorly known whether plant architecture and fine‐scale spatial distribution affect the species richness and composition of associated arthropod guilds. In this study, we extensively sampled bromeliad species with a variety of rosette architectures in a megadiversity region. The aims were to investigate whether (i) possible differences in spider species composition among bromeliad species are related to the distinct architectures of the plants, and (ii) bromeliad architectural complexity (an intrinsic feature) and vertical distribution (an extrinsic feature) are good predictors of spider abundance and richness. Contrary to our expectations, spider species composition did not vary significantly among bromeliad species with different architectures. We found a positive effect of the mean number of leaves on spider abundance and species richness, but it occurred indirectly through spider abundance; factoring out the indirect effect revealed a negative effect of leaf number on species richness. Bromeliad species with wider vertical distributions harboured more spider species. Our results suggest that the dominance of a few spider species and reduced space for orb‐web spiders to attach their webs are the main explanations for lower spider richness on bromeliad species with higher architectural complexity. Our findings highlight the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic plant features as co‐determinants of predator arthropod diversity.     

Soil chemical factors and grassland species density in Emas National Park (central Brazil)

Studies of grasslands on specific soil types suggest that different nutrients can limit biomass production and, hence, species composition and number. The Brazilian cerrado is the major savanna region in America and once covered about 2 million km(2), mainly in the Brazilian Central Plateau, under seasonal climate, with wet summer and dry winter. In view of the importance of soil chemical factors in the distribution of the vegetation forms within the Cerrado domain and which may influence the number of species, we analyzed some soil characteristics in three herbaceous vegetation forms -- hyperseasonal cerrado, seasonal cerrado, and wet grassland -- in Emas National Park, a core cerrado site, to investigate the relationship between number of species and soil characteristics. We collected vegetation and soil samples in these three vegetation forms and submitted the obtained data to multiple linear regression. We found out that aluminum and pH were the best predictors of species density, the former positively related to species density and the latter negatively related. Since the predictable variation in species density is important in determining areas of conservation, we can postulate that these two soil factors are indicators of high species density areas in tropical grasslands, which could be used in selecting priority sites for conservation.     

Spider communities as evaluation tools for wet heathland restoration

Over the last two centuries wet heathlands and associated habitats, such as poor fens and bogs, have suffered extensive fragmentation. Recently, large-scale projects aim to restore these rare habitats throughout Europe. To evaluate post-restoration trajectories of wet heathlands, suitable monitoring tools are urgently needed. Here, we investigated whether spider communities are useful tools for evaluating the restoration success of wet heathlands. Ordination revealed that dissimilarity in spider communities between patches of different age classes resulted mainly from vegetation cover and soil moisture. By using a functional trait-approach, we tested if the time since restoration affects trait distribution of spiders in wet heathlands. Typical wet heathland spider species were less common with increasing vegetation encroachment and lower water content. New patches were inhabited by summer active, eurytopic (non-heathland) spiders, while more typical heathland species were found in middle-aged and old patches. Our results suggest that time-related changes in vegetation structure and moistness of restored wet heathlands are clearly reflected by spider communities. Although mobile spiders quickly recolonize the restored heathlands, it takes time for typical heathland spiders to settle. Restoration measures should prevent the negative effects of a vegetation encroachment and a high density of forested edges and should rehabilitate the hydrological cycle in order to preserve rare heathland spiders. We discuss that accounting for responses of spiders provides additional information to guide wet heathlands restoration.     

The spider communities on peat and upland grasslands In northern England

Between midsummer 1976 and November 1977 some 29000 spiders belonging to 168 species were caught in pitfalls on 42 peat and upland grassland sites covering an altitude range of 11–827 m in the north of England. The similarities between the spider faunas of each site have been assessed using a modified form of Sørensen's Index and the sites clustered according to their similarities. The sites divided into two major groups; (1) mineral soils where grasses are dominant or shallow peat soils where Juncus squarrosus is dominant and (2) peat soils where Eriophorum vaginatum and Calluna vulgaris are dominant. It is suggested that this major division is the result of the plant "architecture" rather than the species composition of the vegetation. Direct comparison between paired peat and grassland sites at the same altitudes shows no marked separation in the spider species composition on the two soil types but there are differences in abundance of individual species. The three peat site clusters form an altitudinal sequence which is not the result of the decline in numbers of non-linyphiid species with increase in altitude as the cluster formation is largely dependent on the linyphiid species which dominate the catches.
Twenty one common species have been used lo identify the communities. Many of these species are often found together and form associations. Typically, a number of associations contribute to each community. Only 19 species contribute more than 4% to the numbers of individuals caught in any one community.
Diversity declines with increase in altitude, as does the number of species caught. The decline in the number of species caught is the effect of a decrease in non-linyphiid species with increasing altitude. There is no significant decline in the numbers of species of linyphiids with increase in altitude.     

Sleeping Sites and Latrines of Spider Monkeys in Continuous and Fragmented Rainforests: Implications for Seed Dispersal and Forest Regeneration

Spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) use sites composed of one or more trees for sleeping (sleeping sites and sleeping trees, respectively). Beneath these sites/trees they deposit copious amounts of dung in latrines. This behavior results in a clumped deposition pattern of seeds and nutrients that directly impacts the regeneration of tropical forests. Therefore, information on the density and spatial distribution of sleeping sites and latrines, and the characteristics (i.e., composition and structure) of sleeping trees are needed to improve our understanding of the ecological significance of spider monkeys in influencing forest composition. Moreover, since primate populations are increasingly forced to inhabit fragmented landscapes, it is important to assess if these characteristics differ between continuous and fragmented forests. We assessed this novel information from eight independent spider monkey communities in the Lacandona rainforest, Mexico: four continuous forest sites and four forest fragments. Both the density of sleeping sites and latrines did not differ between forest conditions. Latrines were uniformly distributed across sleeping sites, but the spatial distribution of sleeping sites within the areas was highly variable, being particularly clumped in forest fragments. In fact, the average inter-latrine distances were almost double in continuous forest than in fragments. Latrines were located beneath only a few tree species, and these trees were larger in diameter in continuous than fragmented forests. Because latrines may represent hotspots of seedling recruitment, our results have important ecological and conservation implications. The variation in the spatial distribution of sleeping sites across the forest indicates that spider monkeys likely create a complex seed deposition pattern in space and time. However, the use of a very few tree species for sleeping could contribute to the establishment of specific vegetation associations typical of the southeastern Mexican rainforest, such as Terminalia-Dialium, and Brosimum-Dialium.     

Habitat selection in a large orb‐weaving spider: vegetational complexity determines site selection and distribution

1. The distribution of the large orb‐weaving spider Argiope trifasciata in old field habitats of North America and the habitat selection process this species used was studied for 2 years. 2. Because web spiders have limited dispersal abilities and an energetically costly prey capture device, they do not have the ability to sample potential foraging sites. Structural complexity of the vegetation to which the web must be attached is relatively easy to assess. The hypothesis that the structural complexity is a primary factor in determining initial web site selection was tested both by relating the natural distribution of the spiders across habitats to vegetational complexity and by manipulating the complexity of the habitats in a series of experiments. 3. Argiope trifasciata was not distributed evenly among three old field vegetation types. Habitat complexity was related to spider density in both years although no measure of insect activity, prey capture, or prey consumption was correlated with spider distribution. 4. Three experimental manipulations were conducted to test the impact of habitat structure on spider establishment: (1) the amount of natural vegetation was reduced, (2) structures were added to a simple habitat, and (3) the complexity of the structures added was varied. In each case, spiders were introduced and establishment of webs was monitored. In all manipulations, spider establishment was related to the complexity of the substrate available. 5. These results are important for understanding the cues that influence foraging site selection and therefore provide insight into the distribution of species with limited dispersal abilities and high site investment requirements.     

The interrelationship between plant species distribution and properties of soils undergoing podzolization in a coastal area of S.W. Australia

A study of soil and vegetation characteristics within a small area of coastal heath near The Gap, Albany, Western Australia, showed that significant differences exist in plant species composition between podzol and non-podzol (calcareous) soil environments. Leaf extracts of common plant species from podzol, non-podzol and transitional soil sites were tested for their ability to complex with iron. Only those species on the podzol and transitional soils proved to have this ability. Soil column experiments tested the rates of iron mobilization and results indicate that the podzol vegetation elutant solution, which was found to contain the iron-complexing agent gallic acid, was superior to the non-podzol vegetation elutant solution in the rate at which it mobilized iron. It is suggested that initiation of podzolization is due to the presence of gallic acid in the leaves of certain of the species in the coastal heath association, and that the pattern of podzol distribution can be linked to both plant succession and inherent differences in soil parent material.     

Grazing and productivity alter individual grass size dynamics in semi-arid woodlands

The spatial arrangement of perennial vegetation is critical for ecosystem function in drylands. While much is known about how vegetation patches respond to grazing and abiotic conditions, the size dynamics of individual plants is mostly limited to theoretical studies. We measured the size distribution (mean, variance, skewness) and density of individual grasses, and grass species composition at 451 sites spanning a range of grazing intensities across three broad vegetation communities in semi-arid eastern Australia. We assessed the relative role of grazing by livestock (cattle and sheep), native (kangaroos) and introduced (rabbits) free ranging herbivores, and several environmental measures (productivity, diversity, composition and groundstorey plant cover) on the size distribution and density of individual grasses. We found mean grass size and density were more sensitive to shifts in grazing intensity and environmental conditions than size variance or the frequency of the smallest individuals (skewness), and shifts were mostly driven by site productivity and cattle and kangaroo grazing. Sheep grazing only reduced mean grass size, and rabbit grazing had no consistent effects. Importantly, we found that site productivity and species composition altered the impacts of grazing on grass density and size distribution. For example, increasing cattle grazing led to larger grasses in low productivity sites. It also led to larger, denser, more variable-sized grasses among grass species from sites with finer soil texture. Increasing kangaroo grazing led to smaller, denser individuals among grass species from sites with coarse soil texture. At high diversity sites kangaroo grazing led to denser, more homogenised grass sizes with a lower frequency of small individuals. Understanding the in situ response of individual plant sizes gives us insights into the processes driving shifts in perennial vegetation patchiness, improving our ability to predict how the spatial arrangement of ecosystems might change under global change scenarios.     

Soil seed bank dynamics of fire-prone wooded grassland, woodland and dry forest ecosystems in Ethiopia

In order to reveal the role of soil seed banks in vegetation recovery after fire in savanna, the spatial distribution and temporal changes in the soil seed banks of regularly burning savanna in Gambella, western Ethiopia, was studied. The seedling emergence technique was employed to determine the species composition and density of the soil seed bank of six sites ranging in fire severity from wooded grassland with frequent fires over woodland with intermediate fire frequency to forest with absence of fires. Species composition and density of seeds in the soil were compared between seasons, depths and sites with different types of standing vegetation. Fourteen plant species were recorded in the soil seed bank from the grassland and woodland sites and 6 from the dry forests; 60 % of the taxa in the soil seed bank were annuals and 40 % were perennials. The soil seed banks were largely dominated by graminoids and 48–97 % of the soil seed bank in the grasslands and woodlands was of a single grass species, Hyparrhenia confinis , which was absent from the dry forests. The soil seed pools ranged from less than 100 to 4700 seeds per m² depending upon the season. The soil seed bank of graminoids was nearly empty after the onset of the rainy season whereas seeds of broadleaved herbs and woody species able to germinate were still found after this time. Floristic composition, representation of life forms and density of seeds in soil did not correspond closely with that of the standing vegetation, but within graminoids there was a strong similarity between the soil seed bank and the standing vegetation. The current fire regime of Ethiopian savanna woodlands appears to maintain the dominance of graminoids over broadleaved herbs and woody plants both as seeds in the soil and in the standing vegetation.     

河西走廊沙漠人工植被区土壤种子库特征

土壤种子库作为地上植被更新的重要的种源储备库,在植被自然恢复和演替过程以及生态系统建设中起着重要作用。以河西走廊不同区域沙漠人工植被为研究对象,研究了土壤种子库物种组成、时空分布和数量变化特征。结果表明：河西走廊沙漠人工林土壤种子库共出现27种植物,分属8科22属,以藜科植物最多,生活型以草本植物种子比例最高,占到90.6%—95.06%;土壤种子库密度介于19.29粒/m~2—858.57粒/m~2之间,从东到西呈水平地带性分布,土壤种子库分布主要集中在0—2cm土层中,不同样地土壤种子库密度均呈明显的垂直分布,在0—10cm土层内,随着土层深度增加,种子库密度先减小后增大;土壤种子库多样性(Simpson指数)在河西走廊东段沙漠人工植被区最高,在0.671—0.812之间,河西走廊中段沙漠人工植被区为0.417—0.809之间,河西走廊西段沙漠人工植被区为0.256—0.707之间,从东到西呈下降趋势,Shannon-Wiener指数、Margalett丰富度指数、Peilow均匀度指数也表现出相同的趋势,说明由于生境的植被的异质性程度高,使土壤种子库之间的差异性显著;河西走廊沙漠...     

长白山北坡木本植物分布与环境关系的典范对应分析

 在长白山北坡海拔700～2 600 m的坡面上,海拔每上升100 m设立一个样点,共计20个样点。调查每个样点中木本植物的生态重要值,并计测样点内包括气候、土壤、林冠郁闭度在内的13个环境因子。应用CANOCO3.12软件对获得的数据进行了典范对应分析(CCA),应用CANODRAW3.0作出了种类     

A Comparative Study of Spider (Araneae) Communities of Rehabilitated Bauxite Mines and Surrounding Forest in the Southwest of Western Australia

A study of spider (Araneae) communities was conducted in rehabilitated bauxite mines at the Jarrahdale mine site of Alcoa of Australia Ltd. and in the nearby native jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest in southwest Western Australia. The study was conducted from March to August 1993 in five rehabilitated sites of different age and method of rehabilitation and in two forest sites. A variety of collection methods was used, including pitfall trapping, litter sampling, sweep netting, tree beating, and visual searching. These methods were the same as those carried out in a previous study of some of these areas in 1983. We collected 151 spider species belonging to 102 genera and 34 families. We examined the relationship between various habitat features, including the age and method of rehabilitation, of the spider communities present. It was found that leaf litter depth and cover and vegetation density had a significant positive influence on recolonization by the various spider guilds. The age and method of rehabilitation were found to influence different vegetational and habitat features; these, in turn, influenced the spider communities. Thus, the older a rehabilitated site the greater the species richness of both plants and spiders. We compared these results with those of the 1983 study to determine the spider succession of the aging rehabilitation. The spider communities and guild composition were found to change as the vegetation matured, from a dominance of pioneer species to a community of species requiring less harsh conditions. By comparison with the pre-1983 rehabilitation, the latest method of rehabilitation increased the rate of recolonization by both plants and spiders.     

河水漫溢对塔里木河下游荒漠河岸林地表植被与土壤种子库的影响

采用种子萌发法,研究了河水漫溢对塔里木河下游荒漠河岸林地表植被与土壤种子库的影响.结果表明：塔里木河下游漫溢区地表植被分属8科13属14种,非漫溢区为10科21属26种植物;与非漫溢区相比,漫溢区地表植被中出现了一些浅根系和喜湿的草本植物;漫溢区单位面积物种数、植被盖度、植株密度、物种多样性指数和丰富度指数均比非漫溢区有明显增加.漫溢区土壤种子库中有物种19种,比非漫溢区增加了5种;漫溢区土壤种子库总密度比非漫溢区增加了3.94倍;与非漫溢区相比,漫溢区1年生草本植物种子的比例增加了23.07%,而灌木植物种子比例减少了20.99%;多年生草本的变化则不明显;河水漫溢提高了土壤种子库的生物多样性.漫溢区和非漫溢区土壤种子库与地表植被的共有物种分别为18和9种,土壤种子库与地表植被的相似性系数分别为0.842和 0.667.     

Characteristics of the soil seed bank in Mediterranean temporary ponds and its role in ecosystem dynamics

Species in temporary ponds overcome periods of unfavorable weather conditions by building up a large seed bank. With this strategy, the species diversity of ponds is preserved and information on their dynamics and structure is retained. Little is known about the characteristics, spatial patterns and role in the vegetation dynamics of the soil seed banks of Mediterranean temporary ponds, which are regarded as priority habitats under protection. We studied two sites of western Crete: Omalos, a mountain plateau at 1,060 m a.s.l. and Elafonisos, located near the coast at 60 m a.s.l. The seed bank was surveyed along transects using the germination method. Aboveground vegetation was measured on quadrats along the same transects. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was run to define the zonation patterns. High density and species richness were recorded in both sites, with an average of 75,662 seeds/m² found in Omalos and 22,941 seeds/m² in Elafonisos. The community composition of both sites was remarkably different but in both locations perennial species were inconspicuous while annuals, prevailed in the seed banks. An important array of protected or rare species as well as several others which were absent from the vegetation were hosted in the soil seed banks, thereby rendering a low similarity between their composition. Soil seed banks in these ecosystems indicated a spatial heterogeneity that mirrored the aboveground vegetation distribution, sorted along the moisture gradient by their tolerance to flooding. Soil seed banks play a key role in the vegetation recovery after summer drought. The acts of preserving the soil seed bank and ensuring a transient flooding regime are essential to protect the unique vegetation communities of Mediterranean temporary ponds.     

Environmental drivers of spider community composition at multiple scales along an urban gradient

Broad-scale modification of natural ecosystems associated with urbanisation often leads to localised extinctions and reduced species richness. Despite this, habitats within the urban matrix are still capable of supporting biodiversity to varying degrees. As species have different responses to anthropogenic habitat modification, the species composition of urban areas can depend greatly on the habitat characteristics of the local and surrounding areas. The aim of this study was to compare the community composition of spiders in private gardens, urban parks, patches of remnant vegetation and continuous bushland sites, so as to identify habitat variables associated with variation in spider populations along and within the urban gradient and matrix. Overall spider abundances and richness were highest in remnant vegetation patches and were associated with increased vegetation cover at microhabitat and landscape-scales. While gardens were not as diverse as remnant patches, they did support a surprisingly high diversity of spiders. We also found that species composition differed significantly between gardens and other urban green spaces. Higher richness within gardens was also associated with greater vegetation cover, indicating the importance of private management decisions on local biodiversity. Differences in community composition between land-use types were driven by a small number of urban-tolerant species, and spider guilds showed different responses to habitat traits such as vegetation cover and human population densities. This study demonstrates that urban land-uses support unique spider communities and that maintaining vegetation cover within the urban matrix is essential in order to support diverse spider communities in cities.     

Assessing the potential for recovery of lakeshore vegetation: species richness of sediment propagule banks

To assess the potential and develop appropriate techniques for the recolonization of lakeshore vegetation at sites where it had been completely lost, a pilot project was launched at Lake Kasumigaura, Japan. We investigated the species composition and density of the soil seed banks (propagule banks) of lake sediments at nine sites (total area, 65,200 m²) where lake sediments were spread thinly (∼10 cm) on the surfaces of artificial littoral zones. These zones were constructed in front of concrete levees and had microtopographic variations. In total, 180 species, including six endangered or vulnerable species and 12 native submerged plants that had disappeared from the aboveground vegetation of the lake, were recorded during the first year of restoration. The distribution of each restored species at the sites suggested the importance of microtopographic variation for recolonizing species-rich lakeshore vegetation. Furthermore, the origin of the source sediment affected the species composition of the established vegetation.     

Grouse moor management: habitat and conservation implications for invertebrates in southern Scotland

The distribution of ground beetle, rove beetle, spider and plant bug species assemblages, and the occurrence of other beetle species, was investigated in a five-year survey of a grouse moor in the Scottish borders, some of which was managed by burning, cutting and herbicide application. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship between assemblage distribution and a number of environmental variables. The management of dry Calluna moor had a positive effect on the habitat diversity for ground beetles and plant bugs but had little effect on rove beetles and spiders. A total of 39 nationally rare and scarce species (38 beetle, 1 plant bug) was recorded in the survey. The most important habitat present was on streamside sites, especially sediment. A number of these rarer species were restricted to sites managed by burning and cutting but other species were only found on unmanaged wet Calluna moor. Molinia-dominated moor was generally of poorer quality than Calluna sites, with fewer rare and scarce species and lower site rarity values based on the ground beetle species recorded. The highest median site rarity scores were for dry, open, managed Calluna sites. In order to maximise both habitat diversity and the incidence of rare and scarce species on grouse moor, a mosaic of both managed and undisturbed patches differing in soil characteristics, plant composition and vegetation structure appears to be required.