Five senior researchers will survey the fauna of selected arthropods in two of the most unique and critically threatened habitats in the midsouth Coastal Plain - the Black Belt Prairie and the Loess Hills in Mississippi. The survey will involve intensive collections of arthropods from these habitats during June, 1991- May, 1992. Remaining remnants of the Black Belt Prairie are being lost by erosion, plant succession, and conversion to pastureland, and some sites have been proposed for placement of a hazardous waste disposal facility. The Loess Hills are imminently threatened by harvest of hardwood timber. Mites, spiders, moths, bees, and selected beetles and flies will be collected with various traps and specialized methods. Specimens will be processed and studied by senior researchers and collaborators at institutions throughout the United States. Specimen data, including taxonomic names, localities, and recorded results will be entered into a computerized database. Survey results will be used for documenting the biodiversity of the threatened habitats, describing the morphology, taxonomy, and distribution of these arthropods, and investigating biogeographic and evolutionary relationships of the fauna in southeastern United States.
