Invertebrate diversity research
Invertebrate Diversity Project
Our Invertebrate Diversity Research Project began in 2021. Initially it was carried out by Dr Michael Wilson of the National Museum of Wales (suction sampling) and Ryan Mitchell of Oxford's Natural History Museum (sweep net sampling. In 2024, Linda Losito, Ivan Wright and Steve Gregory joined and we added pitfall traps and yellow pan traps to the collection methods.
It is well-established that floodplain meadows are one of the rarest hot-spots of botanic diversity in the UK and of course their diverse plants are the primary food source of many invertebrate animals. At a time where biodiversity continues to decline in the UK and more widely, a key unanswered question is: what is the relationship between meadow plant diversity and invertebrate diversity?
The Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project (TVWMRP) is a landscape-scale restoration project, based at the site of Long Mead - an ancient floodplain hay meadow. The Project has access not only ancient (1000 year-old) wildflower meadows, but also to meadows of different ages post-restoration. This range of ages of post-restoration meadows thus offers us a rare opportunity to establish the nature of the correlation between plant biodiversity and the diversity of invertebrate species that live on them. While the length of time after restoration is the independent variable, there are other locality-specific influences that require factoring in – flooding being a potential factor.
Fortunately, TVWMRP has developed collaborations with professional botanists and entomologists who have long experience of the sampling and identification of UK plants and invertebrates and who will advance the scientific knowledge of these vital relationships between plants and animals.
The working hypothesis is that the number of invertebrate species is primarily a function of the diversity and density of plant species in the meadow. We are testing this hypothesis by sampling in meadows that are a different stage of 'development' post-restoration. In the first year, we sampled in each meadow so as to give a base-line survey of various invertebrate groups against which any changes in successive years can be measured.
Meadow invertebrate sampling
Every meadow – ancient, restored and to-be restored - is surveyed for as wide a range of invertebrate groups as possible. The surveys begin by assessing baseline measures of diversity before any intervention or changes.
Each of the meadows is sampled over several years and multiple times within one year.
Timing: Every month from mid-May - July (until hay cut). Then at least one sample after hay-cut.
Invertebrate groups selected:
Hemiptera - leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs + true bugs (Heteroptera) (Plant feeding)
Hymenoptera - bees, wasps (pollinator group)
Diptera - Syrphidae (hover flies) (pollinator group)
Tipulidae (crane flies)
Limoniidae
Larger Brachycera
Conopidae
Tephritidae
Sepsidae
Tepthritidae
Calliphoridae
Rhinophoridae
Sarcophagidae
Tachinidae
Methodology
Six transects with 3, 4 of 5, stops at 70m distance have been set out on: 1. Long Mead (ancient species-rich meadow) 2. Neyotts Meadow (ex permanent pasture, unrestored) 2 transects 3. Changeable Furlongs (ex arable, one half restored in 2025) 2 transects. Pinkhill Meadow (ex arable, restored in 2013) 1 transect. A standard botanical survey is carried out at the points where insect sampling has taken place.
Suction sampling for Hemiptera. For leafhoppers and spiders: vacuum sampling using the modified leaf blower. 100 'sucks' at each of 4 sample sites across a transect in the middle of each meadow. The entire catch is bagged and preserved to be frozen for later sorting and analysis. As well as target groups of hoppers and spiders there are also flies, beetles and small wasps as bycatch.
All samples are preserved for later identification and analysis.
Sweep Net Sampling:
10 min sweep net sampling for pollinating insects: flies and bees
Yellow Pan Sampling
Pans set for 24 hours during dry weather
Pitfall trap Sampling
Traps set for seven days.
Our Invertebrate Diversity Research Project began in 2021. Initially it was carried out by Dr Michael Wilson of the National Museum of Wales (suction sampling) and Ryan Mitchell of Oxford's Natural History Museum (sweep net sampling. In 2024, Linda Losito, Ivan Wright and Steve Gregory joined and we added pitfall traps and yellow pan traps to the collection methods.
It is well-established that floodplain meadows are one of the rarest hot-spots of botanic diversity in the UK and of course their diverse plants are the primary food source of many invertebrate animals. At a time where biodiversity continues to decline in the UK and more widely, a key unanswered question is: what is the relationship between meadow plant diversity and invertebrate diversity?
The Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project (TVWMRP) is a landscape-scale restoration project, based at the site of Long Mead - an ancient floodplain hay meadow. The Project has access not only ancient (1000 year-old) wildflower meadows, but also to meadows of different ages post-restoration. This range of ages of post-restoration meadows thus offers us a rare opportunity to establish the nature of the correlation between plant biodiversity and the diversity of invertebrate species that live on them. While the length of time after restoration is the independent variable, there are other locality-specific influences that require factoring in – flooding being a potential factor.
Fortunately, TVWMRP has developed collaborations with professional botanists and entomologists who have long experience of the sampling and identification of UK plants and invertebrates and who will advance the scientific knowledge of these vital relationships between plants and animals.
The working hypothesis is that the number of invertebrate species is primarily a function of the diversity and density of plant species in the meadow. We are testing this hypothesis by sampling in meadows that are a different stage of 'development' post-restoration. In the first year, we sampled in each meadow so as to give a base-line survey of various invertebrate groups against which any changes in successive years can be measured.
Meadow invertebrate sampling
Every meadow – ancient, restored and to-be restored - is surveyed for as wide a range of invertebrate groups as possible. The surveys begin by assessing baseline measures of diversity before any intervention or changes.
Each of the meadows is sampled over several years and multiple times within one year.
Timing: Every month from mid-May - July (until hay cut). Then at least one sample after hay-cut.
Invertebrate groups selected:
Hemiptera - leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs + true bugs (Heteroptera) (Plant feeding)
Hymenoptera - bees, wasps (pollinator group)
Diptera - Syrphidae (hover flies) (pollinator group)
Tipulidae (crane flies)
Limoniidae
Larger Brachycera
Conopidae
Tephritidae
Sepsidae
Tepthritidae
Calliphoridae
Rhinophoridae
Sarcophagidae
Tachinidae
Methodology
Six transects with 3, 4 of 5, stops at 70m distance have been set out on: 1. Long Mead (ancient species-rich meadow) 2. Neyotts Meadow (ex permanent pasture, unrestored) 2 transects 3. Changeable Furlongs (ex arable, one half restored in 2025) 2 transects. Pinkhill Meadow (ex arable, restored in 2013) 1 transect. A standard botanical survey is carried out at the points where insect sampling has taken place.
Suction sampling for Hemiptera. For leafhoppers and spiders: vacuum sampling using the modified leaf blower. 100 'sucks' at each of 4 sample sites across a transect in the middle of each meadow. The entire catch is bagged and preserved to be frozen for later sorting and analysis. As well as target groups of hoppers and spiders there are also flies, beetles and small wasps as bycatch.
All samples are preserved for later identification and analysis.
Sweep Net Sampling:
10 min sweep net sampling for pollinating insects: flies and bees
Yellow Pan Sampling
Pans set for 24 hours during dry weather
Pitfall trap Sampling
Traps set for seven days.