This study is being conducted to characterize differences in the types of arthropod species (e.g., insects, arachnids) inhabiting different types of patches (e.g., desert remnants, agricultural fields, suburban yards, industrial properties) in different locations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area. Understanding arthropod distributions and how they differ as functions of land use and land cover is important for several reasons. First, arthropods, with their diversity of life strategies are good indicators of an array of features pertaining to habitat quality. Responses to changes in quality take place quickly due to the short life spans and specialized requirements of many species. Second, arthropods provide a key link between what is going on with plant communities (many insects eat plants) and what is going on with vertebrate populations (many birds and lizards eat insects), so characterizing differences in arthropod assemblages as functions of land use and land cover is a key component of understanding the ecology of Phoenix.

MONITORING, SONORAN DESERT, MARICOPA COUNTY, PHOENIX, urban, arthropod, survey, caplter, Central Arizona Phoenix Longterm Ecological Research, metropolitan area, Arizona, pitfall trap, insect, caplter created, Human Control of Biodiversity, Populations, Project id 10, caplter core monitoring, gis

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