The diversity of the insect fauna in a hedgerow and neighbouring fields.
Abstract
The following is based largely on the author's summary. The insect communities on vegetation in a mixed hedgerow and in neighbouring fields of pasture and field beans [Vicia faba] in southern England were sampled with a vacuum sampler, and the aerial populations above the vegetation with suction traps [cf. preceding abstract]. For terrestrial and aerial samples, the frequency distribution of the number of individuals in each of 76 taxa identified fitted a logarithmic series, so the index of diversity (a) of C. B. Williams (1945) was used to study the relative diversity of communities in and above these habitats. Among the terrestrial communities, diversity was greatest on the hedge, less in the beans, and least in the pasture. The diversity of the aerial population decreased with increasing distance from the hedge, and the resulting, pattern of diversity resembled the pattern of shelter produced by the hedge. The presence of the hedge enriched the aerial population nearby for a distance of 3-10 times its height to leeward and 1-2 times to windward.