Testing unbaited stygofauna traps for sampling performance

Unbaited phreatic traps are a promising new method for sampling subterranean limnofauna. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether such trap systems are suitable to gather representative samples of the physico-chemical parameters and the invertebrate fauna of the aquifer. Fifteen traps, installed in five groundwater bores, and four traps located in the hyporheic zone, were sampled twice monthly over a 1 year period (June 2003-June 2004). Water samples were removed in three separated fractions (hose, trap and aquifer water), analysed for physico-chemical and faunal characteristics and compared with one another. The study was carried out in the Nakdong River floodplain, Korea. Physico-chemical characteristics of trap and aquifer were similar, but differed greatly from the hose samples. Abundances of fauna inside the traps were higher than in the aquifer, whereas there were no differences in taxonomic composition of the trap and aquifer samples. Biases of abundances suspected due to the use of traps were negligible in the groundwater, though it is recommended that comparisons between groundwater and hyporheic abundances ascertained by traps be handled cautiously.