• They are important components of any food web.
• There are many different kinds and in a single collection you can find arthropods which are decomposers, herbivores, predators, and parasites.
• Because they have short life cycles, they respond quickly to habitat disturbance and changes in soil and vegetation
• They are fairly easy to collect.

What do arthropods tell us about our urban ecosystem?
If we compare arthropod populations among different types of land use, we may see how different human activities (farming, industry, building residential communities, watering lawns) affect biological diversity.

What kinds of scientific investigations can be developed from this protocol?
Using the protocol, you will record the arthropods collected in your schoolyard. From your observations you can investigate how the population compares to those found at other landscape types where CAP LTER scientists are collecting data. You can also investigate what characteristics of the schoolyard are attracting the kinds of arthropods you are finding.

What materials will you need?
- Bulb planter
- Metric measuring tape
- Metric ruler
- Tweezers
- Magnifying glass
- 16-ounce Solo cups and lids
- Pencils
- Data sheets
- Ziploc bags
- Cooler with blue ice (if you have a freezer in which to store samples, you'll only use the cooler when you're outside. If you don't have a freezer or you don't want to put your samples in it, then be sure to check the ice periodically).