Importance of dead wood for soil mite (Acarina) communities in boreal old-growth forests

Authors

  • Christoph Emmerling University of Trier
  • Heiko Strunk University of Trier

Keywords:

Earthworms, Aporrectodea longa, horizontal movement, earthworm dispersal, experimental box, Miscanthus

Abstract

We investigated the potential of the horizontal dispersal of the endo-anecic earthworm Aporrectodea longa by using an experimental box of 0.7m3. Two treatments, one with and another without vegetation cover (Miscanthus x giganteus) were compared, each with three replicates and ten earthworm individuals for each replicate. Mean horizontal dispersal of A. longa was 7 cm day-1 in a range of 8 cm (± 3) day-1 in the presence of Miscanthus and 6 (± 2) without. We calculated that the horizontal dispersal per year was in the same range (6 to 8 m yr-1) that was within the typical range of several earthworm species from 2.5 to 14 m yr-1. These findings have significant relevance for studies of earthworm population spread and distribution, especially in light of modelling earthworm immigration potential and velocity, triggered for example through regional climate change.

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Published

2023-08-25

How to Cite

Emmerling, C., & Strunk, H. (2023). Importance of dead wood for soil mite (Acarina) communities in boreal old-growth forests. SOIL ORGANISMS, 84(3), 499–512. Retrieved from https://soil-organisms.org/index.php/SO/article/view/342

Issue

Vol. 84 No. 3 (2012)

Section

ARTICLES

License

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