Response of Forest Floor Microarthropods to a Forest Regeneration Burn at Wine Spring Watershed (Southern Appalachians)

Abstract

We sampled microarthropods in litter and soil of the Wine Spring watershed on April 2,1995 before the watershed was burned, again on May. 9, 1995 immediately following burning> and two years later on June 9,1997.Pre-burn samples revealed a high abundance of mites (Arachnida: Atari) and collembolans. (Insecta: Collembola). Oriibatid (Atari: Oribatei) mites were numerous and species-rich. Overall, 112 species of oribatids were identified. The fauna was similar to that described for watersheds at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina, though some additional species not recorded for Coweeta were found at Wine Spring. Groups of microartbropods responded digerently to the burning treatment. Prostigmata (Acari), mostly small and delicate forms, were initially reduced to less than 50% of their pre-bum numbers, but recovered after two years. Mesostigmata (Atari) mostly survived the immediate burn but were reduced two years later. Most species of oribatids survived the initial effects of the bum, but numbers were reduced by 55% and species richness by 20%. Over the following two years, the oribatid fauna continued to decline to 28% of pre-bum abundance and 70% of pre-bum species richness. The mosaic nature of the burn left refugia from which microarthropods may re-invade heavily burned areas, once litter layers become restored.

Citation

Crossley, D.A, Jr.; Hansen, Randi A.; Lamoncha, Karen L. 1997. Response of Forest Floor Microarthropods to a Forest Regeneration Burn at Wine Spring Watershed (Southern Appalachians). First Biennial North American Forest Ecology Workshop, June 22-24, 1997