@article {874,
	title = {Methodological considerations for monitoring soil/litter arthropods in tropical rainforests using DNA metabarcoding, with a special emphasis on ants, springtails and termites},
	journal = {Metabarcoding and Metagenomics},
	volume = {4},
	year = {2020},
	month = {31/12/2020},
	pages = {151{\textendash}163},
	abstract = {<p>Robust data to refute or support claims of global insect decline are currently lacking, particularly for the soil fauna in the tropics. DNA metabarcoding represents a powerful approach for rigorous spatial and temporal monitoring of the taxonomically challenging soil fauna. Here, we provide a detailed field protocol, which was successfully applied in Barro Colorado Island (BCI) in Panama, to collect soil samples and arthropods in a tropical rainforest, to be later processed with metabarcoding. We also estimate the proportion of soil/litter ant, springtail and termite species from the local fauna that can be detected by metabarcoding samples obtained either from Berlese-Tullgren (soil samples), Malaise or light traps. Each collecting method detected a rather distinct fauna. Soil and Malaise trap samples detected 213 species (73\%) of all target species. Malaise trap samples detected many ant species, whereas soil samples were more efficient at detecting springtail and termite species. With respect to long-term monitoring of soil-dwelling and common species (more amenable to statistical trends), the best combination of two methods were soil and light trap samples, detecting 94\% of the total of common species. A protocol including 100 soil, 40 Malaise and 80 light trap samples annually processed by metabarcoding would allow the long-term monitoring of at least 11\%, 18\% and 16\% of species of soil/litter ants, springtails and termites, respectively, present on BCI, and a high proportion of the total abundance (up to 80\% of all individuals) represented by these taxa.</p>
},
	keywords = {Barro Colorado Island, Berlese-Tullgren, Collembola, Formicidae, Isoptera, light trap, Malaise trap},
	issn = {2534-9708},
	doi = {10.3897/mbmg.4.58572},
	url = {https://mbmg.pensoft.net/article/58572/},
	author = {Basset, Yves and Donoso, David A. and Hajibabaei, Mehrdad and Wright, Michael T. G. and Perez, Kate H. J. and Lamarre, Greg P. A. and De Le{\'o}n, Luis F. and Palacios-Vargas, Jos{\'e} G. and Casta{\~n}o-Meneses, Gabriela and Rivera, Marleny and Perez, Filonila and Bobadilla, Ricardo and Lopez, Yacksecari and Ramirez, Jos{\'e} Alejandro and Barrios, H{\'e}ctor}
}
