Arthropod Guild Structure During Early Old Field Succession in a New and Old World Site

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Abstract
(1) Guild structure of the arthropod community associated with early succession from bare ground at an Old World site, southern England, and a New World site, U.S.A., was analysed from monthly samples of abundance over a 2-year period. (2) Six guilds were recognized, employing the criteria of Moran and Southwood (1982). (3)Both sites were rapidly colonized by all guilds, but the phytophages and "tourists" were dominant. (4) Generally, the abundance (number m-2) of arthropods in all guilds was greater at the Old World site. (5) Vegetation at the New World site was considerably more complex than at the Old World site and when arthropod abundance was weighted with a measure of vegetation structure, the differences between the sites was further accentuated. (6) The relatively low abundance of arthropods, especially phytophages, at the New World site is likely to be due to the dominance of the plant community by introduced species. (7) Taxonomic composition of the phytophage guild varied considerably between sites, reflecting differences in the species and life-form composition of the plant communities. The percentage distribution of arthropods in the different guilds indicates greater constancy of guild structure within sites than between.