Characterization of Ground-dwelling Arthropod Assemblages in Northern Bobwhite (C. Virginianus) Habitat.

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have been in decline over the past 50 years. Although land management practices, and habitat loss and degradation are known contributors to bobwhite decline, it is less certain whether the availability of arthropod forage taxa contribute to decreases in bobwhite populations. Despite the fact that brooding hens and chicks rely heavily on arthropod forage taxa for protein, fats, water, and micronutrients, little research has been done characterizing ground-dwelling arthropod communities in terms of richness, abundance, size class, and evenness in areas occupied by quail. During the summers of 2012 and 2013, we investigated these community characteristics by collecting arthropods using pitfall traps placed in vegetation zones quail are known to occupy in the Beaver and Packsaddle Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) of western Oklahoma. Differences in arthropod relative abundance were quantified using a split plot arrangement in a randomized complete block design with repeated measures, where each transect was considered a block, each habitat type a main unit factor, and each size class a split unit factor, with an autoregressive period 1 covariance structure used to compare correlations within traps and across dates and planned contrasts used to compare simple effects of habitat type given size class and date. During 2012 in Beaver WMA, arthropod relative abundance was higher later in the summer. During 2013 in Beaver WMA, arthropod relative abundance was higher in the middle of the summer and during 2013 in Packsaddle WMA arthropod relative abundance was higher towards the end of the summer. In different zones and on different sampling dates, differences in arthropod relative abundance were detected when comparing arthropods of the same size class in different zones in both the Beaver and Packsaddle WMA. Although quail appear to have enough arthropod forage taxa available later in the season, there also appear to be time intervals in both Beaver and Packsaddle WMAs during the early part of the brooding season where arthropod forage taxa tend to be scarce relative to what is suggested to be sufficient in previous studies.Entomolog