Light traps for sampling marine biodiversity

Table 5 Abiotic factors affecting light trap catch

Abiotic factor examined	Results	References
Current	Light traps were not as effective in catching larval fish in a high current area as opposed to a low current area	Anderson et al. [48]
Current	Light traps that were allowed to float with current had higher catch rates	Thorrold [60]
Turbidity	Catch rate decreased with increasing turbidity for larval fish	Lindquist and Shaw [86]
Sampling duration, and time of day and night	No difference in time of night catches for larval fish	Thorrold [60]
Sampling duration, and time of day and night	There were two peaks in catch rates of invertebrates, one near dusk and one near dawn	Tranter et al. [93]
Lunar cycle	Highest catch rate at new moon and lowest catch rates at full moon	Hernandez Jr and Shaw [64]
Lunar cycle	Highest catch rates at the third quarter moon (i.e., day 22–24 of the lunar cycle) though not consistent for all species	Sponaugle and Cowen [47]
Depth of sample	Highest invertebrate catch rates were found closest to the benthos	Tranter et al. [93], Tor et al. [92]
Depth of sample	For larval fish, catch rate varied with different species having peak catch rates at different depths	Fisher and Bellwood [77]
Tidal effects	No tidal effects	Chícharo et al. [23]
Tidal effects	Highest catch rates at low tide	Beckley and Naidoo [70]

ISSN: 1438-3888