DISTRIBUTION OF ARTHROPOD SPECIES ACROSS THE MARGINS OF FARM WOODLANDS

The distribution of ground-dwelling carabid beetle (Carabidae) and spider (Araneae) species on a farm woodland-arable field transect was examined by pitfall trapping. The woodland edge zone was found to have an elevated species richness of the two faunal groups studied. The woodland and field habitats support distinct species assemblages. At the habitat interface the community was composed of a mixture of woodland and field species. Species associated with the woodland were found to occur in the field habitat and vice versa. The edge effects noted did not extend beyond approximately 5 m into the farm woodland. The presence of the farm woodlands increases the local species diversity of the faunal groups studied.