Pitfall traps (four traps per plot, located at the corners of the central 10 x 10 m subplot) were used to assess the activity abundance and species richness of selected macrofauna taxa in relation to the plots' woody plant diversity. Enables to test to what extent woody plant diversity affects the abundance, species composition and diversity of, e.g. predators (which might profit from higher structural diversity or better resource availability in more plant diverse plots) or decomposers (which might profit from more diverse resources in more plant diverse plots). Traps consisted of plastic cups (diameter 8.5 cm, depth 15 cm, capacity 550 ml) sunk into the ground and filled with 150 ml of preserving solution (40% ethanol, 30% water, 20% glycerol, 10% acetic acid, with a few drops of detergent to reduce surface tension) for continuous trapping. Sampling was conducted in 2009 for five months (30 March–2 September) and covered the main growing season. The traps were emptied and refilled at 14 day intervals. Taxa were sorted in the lab and specimen were identified to species or morphospecies level (within families or genera).

Four pitfall traps, located at the corners of the central 10 x 10 m subplot, were installed in each of the 27 CSPs in 2009. Traps consisted of plastic cups (diameter 8.5 cm, depth 15 cm, capacity 550 ml) sunk into the ground and filled with 150 ml of preserving solution (40% ethanol, 30% water, 20% glycerol, 10% acetic acid, with a few drops of detergent to reduce surface tension) for continuous trapping. Sampling was conducted in 2009 for five months (30 March–2 September) and covered the main growing season. The traps were emptied and refilled at 14 day intervals. Taxa were sorted in the lab and specimen were identified to species or morphospecies level (within families or genera).

Comparative Study Plots, Gutianshan 29°08'-29°17'N 118°02'-118°11'E

Growing season 2009

Epigeic spiders