Abstract
ABSTRACT The effect of 23 years of low intensity prescribed burning on soil and litter invertebrates was studied over 18 months. Samples were collected from 40 plots distributed among annually burned, periodically burned (every 3–4 yrs), and unburned areas of an oak woodland. A total of 26,416 invertebrates representing 21 classes and orders were extracted from soil core and litter layer samples using Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Invertebrates were 25 times more abundant in litter than soil, and Acari and Collembola were the most prevalent taxa, accounting for 76% and 17%, respectively, of the total collection. Statistical analyses of the Shannon entropy index for diversity and associated values of class and order richness, evenness, and abundance indicated that burning was not associated with significant changes in the broad invertebrate community. Average Shannon entropy indices (H) ranged from 0.73 to 0.78 across burn treatments for soil samples and from 0.43 to 0.46 for litter samples. However, within Ac...
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