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Invertebrates of Scottish sand dunes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

R. Colin Welch
Affiliation:
Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, U.K.
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Synopsis

The first comparative study in Britain of the invertebrate fauna of a large number of coastal sites was carried out in Scotland in 1976/77. Fifty-eight sites were selected at fifty-four locations in four geographic areas: East Coast, Moray Firth, North & North-west Coast and the Outer Hebrides. Lepidoptera were collected in MV light traps, while Coleoptera, Araneae, Mollusca and Diplopoda were caught in pitfall traps. The results are analysed to show the relationships between the faunal elements of each region and how species distribution correlates with latitude and is affected by climate. Examples are given to illustrate the great range of distribution patterns of selected species in the five major invertebrate groups studied. Some priority areas for site conservation are listed and recommendations made for a different approach to dune management.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1989

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