Field experiment started (water level manipulations)

This week we started a field experiment where we simulate drought by emptying (lowering the water table) some wetlands. We emptied 8 wetlands and have another 8 as controls. The purpose is to see the effect of drought on the arthropod communities at the shorelines of the wetlands. Peter did the ”pre-drought” sampling with Malaise traps, color bowls, suction sampling and pitfall traps. We also took photos of the wetlands with a drone before and after emptying. After a month of dry-out we will repeat the invertebrate sampling, and also repeat it next year to study long-term effects.