Ground-Dwelling Arthropods of the Rio Puerco Watershed, New Mexico

One of the most important components of a terrestrial ecosystem is the ground-dwelling arthropods, which play a functional role as general detritivores and predators. Because of their sensitivity to rangeland deterioration, a study on the abundance of the ground-dwelling arthropods was undertaken in four different habitats of the Rio Puerco Watershed in New Mexico. Thirty-two traps (768 trap nights) were placed in each of four habitats: grama grassland, sagebrush, shrubland, juniper grassland, and pine woodland. There were more genera of ants in the juniper grassland habitat than in the other habitats. Fieldcrickets, Gryllus sp., were most abundant in the grama grassland and entomobryid collembolans were most abundant in juniper grassland and pine woodland habitats. Despite differences in species composition, the ground-dwelling arthropod fauna was dominated by detrivorous forms in every habitat.