This study examines the short-term impact of forest soil compaction and organic matter removal on soil mesofauna, in general, and oribatid mite species, in particular. Both soil compaction and organic matter removal reduced the density of soil mesofauna. Stem-only harvesting reduced total mesofauna densities by 20% relative to uncut forest values. A combination of whole-tree harvest and forest floor removal with heavy soil compaction significantly reduced total soil mesofauna densities by 93% relative to the uncut forest control. Removal of the forest floor represents a substantial loss of habitat for most soil mesofauna. The forest floor apparently buffered the mineral soil by limiting both the impact of soil compaction and fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture. The relative abundance of Prostigmata and Mesostigmata increased with treatment severity, whereas that of Oribatida decreased. Species richness of the oribatid mite fauna was reduced as the severity of treatments increased. The number of rare oribatid species (those representing <1% of the total oribatid mite sample) decreased by 40% or more relative to the uncut forest control. Evenness also decreased as treatment severity increased. Oppiella nova and Suctobelbella sp. near acutidens were the dominant oribatid species in both the forest floor and mineral soil, regardless of treatment. Soil compaction and organic matter removal significantly impacted the density and diversity of soil mesofauna and oribatid mite fauna in the short term at these study sites.
The composition of major soil fauna groups throughout the soil profile in adjacent old growth western red cedar (Thujaplicata Donn)–western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) and mature hemlock–amabilis fir (Abiesamabilis (Dougl.) Forbes) forests on northern Vancouver Island was compared as part of an integrated study on the possible causes of poor growth of plantation Sitka spruce (Piceasitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) on cedar–hemlock cutblocks. In addition, we examined seasonal changes in vertical distribution of soil fauna within the forest floor of both forest types. At five times between August 1989 and March 1991, four methods were used to extract soil fauna: hand sorting, high-gradient extraction, modified Baermann funnel, and the Formalin method. Forty-one faunal groups were identified in both forest types. The hemlock–amabilis fir forest maintained a higher abundance and biomass of soil fauna than the cedar–hemlock forest. Nematoda were numerically dominant in both forest types followed by Acari, Collembola, and Copepoda. Diplopoda, Enchytraeidae, Diptera larvae, and Acari dominated soil fauna biomass in both forests. Similarity indices indicated that the forest types have similar group diversity. The majority of Nematoda, Acari, and Collembola were found in the LF and H horizons in both forest types. On average, more than 50% of the Acari and Collembola populations were found in the LF horizon while approximately 30% of the Nematoda were found there.
Battigelli, J. P., McIntyre, G. S., Broersma, K. and Krzic, M. 2003. Impact of cattle grazing on prostigmatid mite densities in grassland soils of southern interior British Columbia. Can J. Soil Sci. 83: 533-535. Soil mesofauna are an important part of soil ecosystems, but little is known about them in grassland ecosystems of southern interior British Columbia. In this study, 12 300 organisms were examined and prostigmatid mites were most abundant, representing 95% of the total collection. Cattle grazing, sample depth and season of sampling influenced prostigmatid mite densities. However, grazing was the most significant factor, explaining 29% of the variation in prostigmatid mite density.Key words: Soil fauna, mesofauna, Prostigmata, Acari, range management Battigelli, J. P., McIntyre, G. S., Broersma, K. and Krzic, M. 2003. Incidence de la paissance sur la densité de population des acariens prostigmatides dans le sol des prairies du sud intérieur de la Colombie-Britannique. Can. J. Soil Sci. 83: 533-535. La mésofaune du sol joue un rôle important dans les écosystèmes du sol, mais on sait peu de choses sur son rôle dans l'écosys-tème des prairies du sud intérieur de la Colombie-Britannique. Dans le cadre de ce projet, les auteurs ont examiné 12 300 organismes. Les acariens prostigmatides étaient les plus nombreux puisqu'ils représentaient 95 % des spécimens recueillis. La paissance par les bovins, la profondeur du prélèvement et le moment de l'échantillonnage exercent une influence sur la densité de population des prostigmatides. Néanmoins, la paissance reste le facteur le plus important, car elle explique 29 % de la variation observée.
This field study was carried out to investigate whether application of an aerial spray containing Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) to control the western spruce budworm (Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman, 1967) had any measurable effects on aspects of the abundance, distribution, diversity, and feeding behaviour of nontarget soil microarthropods. Although total abundance and species richness (N0) of Collembola declined significantly in samples taken 3 weeks after spraying, this decline occurred in the control plots as well as in plots sprayed with Btk. Values for the diversity indices N1 and N2 were not affected by the treatment. Correspondence analysis did not identify changes in collembolan communities following the aerial application of Btk. Total abundance of mites and populations of different suborders (Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida) were not significantly affected by application of Btk, or by the time of year that the samples were collected. There was no evidence of a selective reduction in the surface-dwelling portions of the collembolan and mite communities following exposure to Btk. Similarly, the experimental spray did not cause a decline in the abundance of the guild of Collembola known to feed on bacteria, and the proportion of bacteria in the diet of these Collembola following application of Btk was also unchanged.
Surface mining of oil sands in northeastern Alberta is a large-scale disturbance affecting over 900 km 2 so far. Extraction companies are required by law to return the environment to "equivalent land capability", but this has been challenging to quantify. To date, only one site has been certified as reclaimed. Restoring ecosystem function, including nutrient availability and uptake, might be a more realistic goal of reclamation. We tested the effect of admixing subsoil with peat and peat biochar on bioavailable nutrients, foliar nutrient concentration, and aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) productivity in a greenhouse study. Brunisols and luvisols, found in upland boreal forests of the Athabasca oil sands region, have high mineral soil content compared with the commonly used peat. Charcoal is a native component of boreal forest soils in northern Alberta and affects a variety of soil characteristics. In two separate tests, we compared different peat-subsoil admixtures and biochar-amended peat-subsoil admixtures with forest floor-mineral mix (FFM). Seedling productivity increased with admixing subsoil in both experiments with and without biochar, and there was an overall positive effect of amendment with biochar when comparing all treatments of both experiments using multivariate statistics, with biochar being more similar to FFM. Our findings suggested that peat-subsoil mixes did not provide sufficient amounts of P and Cu to seedlings. A lower K and Mn availability in peat-subsoil mixes was also identified and needs to be evaluated in further studies.
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