Despite the recognized role of soil arthropod fauna on nutrient cycling
and decomposition processes, many aspects of the effects of sylvicultural
methods in forest ecosystems upon their biology remain poorly understood.
The long term effects of prescribed fires on soil arthropods in forest
ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest have never been studied.
Soil samples were taken from three sites located in the Willamette
National Forest in 1992: paired sites that were either clear-cut without burning
and clear-cut with burning 40 years ago. One hundred and eight samples
were processed; the arthropods were separated, identified and counted. To
study the biology and behavior of some arthropods, eight species of oribatid
mites were reared in laboratory conditions. Their life cycle, feeding behavior
and reproduction were studied.
Results indicated that there were no statistical significant treatment
differences either in terms of total numbers of organisms or biomass.
However, the majority of the commonest taxa did show offsetting treatment
responses. A total of 204 taxa were found in the three sites. The most
important groups included Collembola, mites, and insects. Other groups also
represented, but in smaller numbers, were spiders, symphylans,
pseudoscorpions, and centipedes. Of all these groups, oribatid mites was the
best represented and appears to be a useful indicator of disturbances. / Graduation date: 1995
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/35278 |
| Date | 01 May 1995 |
| Creators | Estrada-Venegas, Edith G |
| Contributors | Moldenke, Andrew R., Krantz, Gerald W. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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