Distribution and abundance of exotic earthworms within a boreal forest system in southcentral Alaska

Bowser, Matthew L.; Morton, John M.; Lang, Shirley A.; Shain, Daniel H.; Dial, Roman

doi:10.3897/neobiota.28.5503

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…We used a mustard extraction method (Lawrence and Bowers 2002, Reynolds and Wetzel 2008, Saltmarsh et al 2016) and combined it with manual searching to increase our chances of finding worms (Sackett et al 2012). A square, 50 cm × 50 cm quadrat was constructed by Barney Booysen with thin wooden boards to use as a guide when pouring the mustard-water mixture.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the common vermicomposting species, Eisenia fetida (Savigny, 1826), apparently cannot survive outside of compost bins in south-central Alaska (Bowser 2015) or presumably northwards. As a result of presumed human introductions, Alaska now has approximately 14 species of feral lumbricid earthworms which, until recently, were known only from coastal Alaska, primarily in the state's south-central and south-eastern regions (Bowser 2015, Reynolds 2016, Saltmarsh et al 2016). Six species of lumbricids are reported from Yukon Territory by Reynolds (2015), but no published records exist for lumbricids in Interior Alaska.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) of Interior Alaska

Booysen¹,

Sikes²,

Bowser³

et al. 2018

BDJ

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Earthworms in the family Lumbricidae in Alaska, which are known from coastal regions, primarily in south-central and south-eastern Alaska, are thought to be entirely non-native and have been shown to negatively impact previously earthworm-free ecosystems in study regions outside of Alaska. Despite occasional collections by curious citizens, there had not been a standardised earthworm survey performed in Interior Alaska and no published records exist of earthworms species from this region. Mustard extraction was used to sample six locations that differed in elevation, mostly in the College region of Fairbanks, Alaska. Two of the six locations yielded earthworms. There was no relationship between earthworm abundance and elevation (p = 0.087), although our sample size was small. Our sampling, combined with specimens in the University of Alaska Museum, has documented four exotic species and one presumed native species of lumbricid earthworms in Interior Alaska.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae) of Interior Alaska

Booysen¹,

Sikes²,

Bowser³

et al. 2018

BDJ

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“…Earthworms were collected at each plot using methods similar to those of Saltmarsh et al (2016). First, vegetation was removed from a small area within the plot using clippers, then a 50 cm × 50 cm aluminum quadrat frame was set on the ground.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are at present more common near roads than in more remote areas on the Kenai Peninsula (Saltmarsh et al 2016). As potential agents of change that can alter soil properties when introduced into new areas (Hale et al 2005, Frelich et al 2006, Hale et al 2006, Holdsworth et al 2007), we were interested in documenting the current distribution of earthworms in Kenai grasslands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arthropod and oligochaete assemblages from grasslands of the southern Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Bowser¹,

Morton²,

Hanson³

et al. 2017

BDJ

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BackgroundBy the end of this century, the potential climate-biome of the southern Kenai Peninsula is forecasted to change from transitional boreal forest to prairie and grasslands, a scenario that may already be playing out in the Caribou Hills region. Here, spruce (Picea × lutzii Little [glauca × sitchensis]) forests were heavily thinned by an outbreak of the spruce bark beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby, 1837)) and replaced by the native but invasive grass species, Calamagrostis canadensis (Michx.) P. Beauv. As part of a project designed to delimit and characterize potentially expanding grasslands in this region, we sought to characterize the arthropod and earthworm communities of these grasslands.We also used this sampling effort as a trial of applying high-throughput sequencing metabarcoding methods to a real-world inventory of terrestrial arthropods.New informationWe documented 131 occurrences of 67 native arthropod species at ten sites, characterizing the arthropod fauna of these grasslands as being dominated by Hemiptera (60% of total reads) and Diptera (38% of total reads). We found a single exotic earthworm species, Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny, 1826), at 30% of sites and one unidentified enchytraeid at a single site. The utility of high-throughput sequencing metabarcoding as a tool for bioassessment of terrestrial arthropod assemblages was confirmed.

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“…But also successful distributional analyses were published on taxa that were not mainstream, until recently. Saltmarsh et al (2016) published an analysis on the distribution and abundance of exotic earthworms in Alaskan forests. A combination of ecophysiological models with a correlative model to project coypu (Myocastor coypus) distribution under climate change was presented by Jarnevich et al (2017).…”

Section: Topics Coveredmentioning

confidence: 99%