Abstract
Three sites representative of forest successions in the Lake Duparquet region (situated in the southern part of the boreal forest, Abitibi, PQ, Canada) were chosen for this experiment: (1) a 47-yr-old deciduous forest, (2) a 144-yr-old mixed forest, and (3) a 231-yr-old coniferous forest. Each site included a plot that was deforested 1 yr before experimentation. The sampling that was carried out permitted an analysis of the effects of deforestation on the communities of the 3 sites. Abundance decreases on average by 55% and richness by 52%. Predators are less affected than decomposers by edaphic variations resulting from deforestation. Forest fires were simulated to determine the immediate impact on edaphic macroarthropod communities. The fires caused, on average, a 95.5% reduction in abundance of organisms. Survivors, however, were found; thus confirming the small-scale mosaic effect of the fire. In the short and long term, disturbance regimes shape edaphic communities and the structure of communities peculiar to each forest successional stage.
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