The Glen Finglas Projects is a large-scale and long-term experiment investigating the effects of four different grazing regimes, no grazing, high-stock sheep grazing, low-stock sheep grazing, and low-stock sheep mixed with cattle grazing (+ the occasional deer), on Scottish upland ecosystems. I was involved in the arthropod collection and sorting/identification process and I also designed and conducted a side project which investigated the grazing effects on ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae).
We found that whilst Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers and planthoppers) abundances were significantly higher in ungrazed plots , the effect was the opposite on ground beetles, which had their lowest abundances in ungrazed plots .
