The Macroinvertebrates Baseline Survey was carried out between February and
May 2000 in order to assess the status of insects and other groups in the
protected area.
The
objectives of the survey were:
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Review and acquire the references and previous studies conducted on
the macroinvertebrates of the protected area.
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Carry out the fieldwork part of the survey which includes recording
species and collecting specimens for further identification.
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Preserve collected specimens so as to kept in the research center
of the protected area and in the University of Jordan Insect Museum.
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Identify special interest species like endangered species, pest
species or other species that might be used as ecological indicators for
specific ecosystems.
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Train the research team and reserve staff on collecting,
preserving, identifying and monitoring important species.
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Train the research team and the reserve staff about the role and
importance of macroinvertebrates in ecosystems so they can transfer this
knowledge to the general public.
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Design future monitoring programs and sampling methods for
important species.
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Recommend some management and research actions that would help in
conserving the macroinvertebrates in the protected area.
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Contribute to the management actions of the protected area.
Macroinvertebrates form the
largest group of animals in the world, 75% of known animals belong to this
group. in addition, some macroinvertebrates are beneficial in the wild as
pollinators. Others produce commercial products like honey. Insects are also
important in the food chain as a primary food material for many reptiles,
birds, fish and even mammals.
To meet the objectives of this
survey, three methods have been used which were: light trapping, pitfall
trapping and free catch. Using these methods together covered a wide spectrum
of insects including crawling insects, flying insects, nocturnal insects and
soil dwellers. The studied area was also divided into three main parts, flat
areas, mountains and hot spots. Specimens collected by all methods were
treated and prepared for identification and finally to be as a reference in
the Protected Area.
Results of the survey till now
outlined 78 species of Arthropods. Class Insecta had the largest number of
species recorded (68), followed by class Arachnida (10). Species of the Class
Insecta belonged to 14 orders which are: Thysanura ( 1 species), Odonata (2
species), Orthoptera (6 species ), Mantodea (1 species), Blattaria (2 species
), Isoptera ( at least 1 species), Dermaptera (1 species), Hemiptera (3
species), Homoptera (at least 1 species ), Neuroptera (1 species), Coleoptera
(39 species ), Diptera (6 species), Lepidoptera (2 species), Hymenoptera (at
least 2 species).
An annotated checklist and
distribution maps were also prepared. Checklists of previously recorded
species from other studies were also added to this survey’s checklist.
Conclusions
obtained from this survey can be summarized in the following points:
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The dominant group of species collected by pitfall traps or by
direct picking was the darkling beetles of the family Tenebrionidae. This
family includes thousands of species worldwide of which several hundreds
were recorded in Arabia. Therefore, it was expected to find a very high
number of species of this family in Rum area.
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Moths were the dominant group of insects collected by light traps.
Moths are mostly nocturnal species. About 2000 species of moths are known
to occur in the area (Jordan and Palestine). Many of the collected species
were not identified to the species level, especially the micro-Lepidoptera
due to the lack of available literature in our libraries concerning the
identification of this group.
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Many of the collected species were beneficial species. For example,
the dragonflies Orthetrum chrysostigma and Trithemis artereosa
are predators on some pests such as mosquitoes. Dragonflies are important
components of any aquatic ecosystem whether in their larval or adult
stage.
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Scorpions may be of some danger to the local people or to the
tourists but educating people about the habits of scorpions and taking
some precautionary measures may reduce any unexpected danger. These
measures include inspecting shoes in the morning before putting them on;
shaking clothes before wearing them, use of screens on windows and use of
rubber or sponge boards at the base of doors.
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Not all the collected specimens were identified to the specific
level, but only those species for which we found relevant literature to
their identification were determined.
Study results and
conclusions showed that the Rum protected area is an important
macroinvertebrates area, supporting a wide spectrum of species inhabiting the
microhabitats there. It should be mentioned here that Wadi Rum Protected Area
comprises a unique configuration that cannot be seen elsewhere. This unique
configuration is due to combinations of different landscape constituents of
the area, such as the precipitous sandstone rocky elements, soft sandy soil,
and the hard soil.
For
future work, additional surveys have been recommended to fulfill the list and
distribution of Macro invertebrates in Wadi Rum Protected Area.
Recommendations for methodology were also included to improve the efficiency
of these methods in any future work.
Recommendations
for management actions concentrated mainly on limiting vehicles to certain
trails to ensure the minimum damage for habitats of insects, and also to
control of daily activities taking place inside the protected area like
grazing, wood collecting, tourists activities.
There still some unidentified
specimens which will be added to the results as soon as they are
identified.
