Soil Arthropoda of Post-Fire Successions in the Northern Taiga of West Siberia
V. G. Mordkovich, O. G. Berezina, I. I. Lyubechansky, V. S. Andrievsky, I. I. Marchenko
Abstract
The soil arthropoda population of the northern taiga was investigated in the native pine forest which had not survived any fire for at least 100 years, and in two stages of post-fire successions in its place. The population of the native non-burnt forest is represented by 54 microarthropoda species. The meso-fauna is composed almost exceptionally of spiders; 10 species were observed. The foliage underwood develops on young burnt sites; the soil is covered with thick mossy pads with separate courtines of winnows. The density of collembolan and oribatid mite population here is about two times lower than that in non-burnt pine forests; gamasid mites are absent. The microarthropoda population is represented by the species which are common in the surrounding native pine forests. The mesofauna consists mainly of ground beetles, open-land predators, and myxophytophagues. Spiders are represented by some widespread mobile species with low density. A mixed forest with mossy-lichen cover is formed on old burnt sites (of the age of about 50 years). Diversity and density of microarthropoda increase reaching the values characteristic of native forest; however, the species composition and dominance are still different. The fraction of spiders in mesofauna increases. The ground beetle population is the most abundant and diverse.
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