Diversity Of Collembola Research Articles

KERAGAMAN DAN KEMELIMPAHAN COLLEMBOLA SERTA ARTHROPODA TANAH DI LAHAN SAWAH ORGANIK DAN KONVENSIONAL PADA MASA BERA

The diversity and abundance of Collembola and soil arthropods in organic and conventional lowland field at fallow time. As ecosystem components, Collembola and arthropods are important in keeping the ecosystem stability. Beside its role as the decomposer, Collembola also takes part as the alternative food for arthropod predators. This research was aimed to gather information on the diversity and abundance of Collembola and arthropods in organic and conventional lowland field at fallow time. The sampling was done using pitfall trap and Berlese funnel. The results showed that: (1) the abundance of Collembola in organic lowland field was higher than that of in the conventional lowland field but the diversity of Collembola in the organic lowland field was not different from that of in the conventional field; (2) Entomobryidae was the family with the highest abundance; and (3) the diversity and abundance of soil arthropods were relatively greater in organic lowland field than that of in the conventional lowland.

Springtail diversity in South Africa

Despite their significance in soil ecosystems and their use for investigations of soil ecosystem functioning and in bioindication elsewhere, springtails (Collembola) have not been well investigated in South Africa. Early recognition of their role in soil systems and sporadic systematic work has essentially characterised knowledge of the southern African fauna for some time. The situation is now changing as a consequence of systematic and ecological work on springtails. To date this research has focused mostly on the Cape Floristic Region and has revealed a much more diverse springtail fauna than previously known (136 identifiable species and an estimated 300 species for the Cape Floristic Region in total), including radiations in genera such as the isotomid Cryptopygus. Quantitative ecological work has shown that alpha diversity can be estimated readily and that the group may be useful for demonstrating land use impacts on soil biodiversity. Moreover, this ecological work has revealed that some disturbed sites, such as those dominated by Galenia africana, may be dominated by invasive springtail species. Investigation of the soil fauna involved in decomposition in Renosterveld and Fynbos has also revealed that biological decomposition has likely been underestimated in these vegetation types, and that the role of fire as the presumed predominant source of nutrient return to the soil may have to be re-examined. Ongoing research on the springtails will provide the information necessary for understanding and conserving soils: one of southern Africa’s major natural assets.

Effects of ecological flooding on the temporal and spatial dynamics of carabid beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and springtails (Collembola) in a polder habitat

Within the scope of the Integrated Rhine Program an ecological flood gate and channel was inserted into the polder “Ingelheim” to enhance animal and plant diversity. In 2008, carabid beetles and springtails were collected, using pitfall traps, to measure the effects of ecological flooding and a strong precipitation event at a flood-disturbed and a dry location in this area. At both localities, xerophilic and mesophilic carabid beetle species were dominant throughout the study period. The total number of individuals of hygrophilic species was comparatively constant, while species number increased, partly due to the changed moisture conditions caused by ecological flooding and strong precipitation. Carabid beetle diversity and evenness decreased marginally when ecological flooding was absent. Springtails represent a less mobile arthropod order, and as such the impact of ecological flooding was stronger. An increase in both numbers of species and individuals of hygrophilic and hygrotolerant species occurred in the flood-disturbed location after ecological flooding. After the sites at both locations had dried, the number of individuals belonging to these species declined rapidly. In contrast to carabid species, the strong precipitation event showed no influence on hygrophilic springtail species. Thus, collembolan diversity and evenness decreased markedly in the absence of flooding. We showed that ecological flooding has an influence on the spatial and temporal dynamics of different arthropod groups that inhabit the polder “Ingelheim”. These findings demonstrate the importance of using different arthropod groups as bioindicators in determining the ecological value of a particular polder design.

Collembola species composition and diversity effects on ecosystem functioning vary with plant functional group identity

The relationship between decomposer diversity and ecosystem functioning is little understood although soils accommodate a significant proportion of worldwide biodiversity. Collembola are among the most abundant and diverse decomposers and are known to modify plant growth. We examined the effects of Collembola species diversity (one, two and three species belonging to different life history groups) and composition on litter decomposition and the performance of plant communities (above- and belowground productivity) of different functional groups (grasses, forbs and legumes). Collembola densities did not increase with diversity indicating niche overlap. Generally, Collembola species composition was a better predictor for ecosystem functioning than Collembola species number with the impacts of Collembola diversity and composition on ecosystem functioning strongly depending on plant functional group identity. Non-linear effects of Collembola diversity on litter decomposition and plant productivity suggest pronounced and context dependent species interactions and feeding habits. Net surface litter decomposition was decreased by Collembola, whereas root litter decomposition was at maximum in the highest Collembola diversity treatment. Forbs benefitted most from the presence of three Collembola species. Similarly, Collembola diversity influenced root depth distribution in a plant functional group specific way: while grass root biomass decreased with increasing Collembola diversity in the upper and lower soil layer, legume root biomass increased particularly in the lower soil layer. Idiosyncratic and context dependent effects of Collembola diversity and composition even in rather simple assemblages of one to three species suggest that changes in Collembola diversity may have unpredictable consequences for ecosystem functioning. The finding that changes in Collembola performance did not directly translate to alterations in ecosystem functioning indicates that response traits do not necessarily conform to effect traits. Distinct plant functional group specific impacts of Collembola diversity on root depth distribution are likely to modify plant competition in complex plant communities and add a novel mechanism how decomposers may affect plant community assembly.

Rainforest Collembola (Hexapoda: Collembola) and the insularity of epiphyte microhabitats

Abstract. 1. This study compares species composition of collembolan (Collembola:Hexapoda) assemblages associated with rainforest soil, forest floor leaf litter and epi-phyte-associated leaf litter deposits, canopy foliage and bark surfaces in a subtropicalrainforest in southeast Queensland.2. The results of analyses of similarity show that in both winter and summer, thespecies composition of collembolan assemblages differs significantly between each ofthe microhabitats studied. These results also confirm earlier work showing verticalstratification of species composition in collembolan assemblages associated with leaflitter suspended in epiphytes.3. Many of the species occurring in leaf litter suspended in epiphytes were notfound on intervening bark surfaces. This supports a hypothesis suggesting thatepiphytes within rainforest canopies can be thought of as habitat islands forarthropods.Key words. ANOSIM , Collembola, epiphyte, island biogeography, rainforest, verti-cal stratification. IntroductionCollembola are often the most abundant hexapods collected instudies of arthropods in rainforest canopies (Kitchinget al., 1993; Palacios-Vargas & Go´mez-Anaya, 1993;Guilbert et al., 1994, 1995; Palacios-Vargas et al., 1998, 1999;Yanoviak et al., 2003, 2004), and have long been known tooccurinawiderangeofrainforestmicrohabitats,includingsoils,forest floor leaf litter andhumic soils andleaf litter suspendedinepiphytes (i.e. Delamare Deboutteville, 1951). Collembola arealso the frequent prey items of mites, ants, micro-spiders,pseudoscorpions, small lizards, frogs and insectivorous birds(Hopkin, 1997). It thus seems likely that in addition to their sig-nificantroleindecompositionprocesses,theCollembolamaybeimportant in sustaining the diversity of these predator groupswithinrainforestcanopies.Many authors have suggested that the presence of epiphytesin rainforest canopies may play a n important role in sustainingthe abundance and diversity of Collembola and other arthro-pods in rainforest canopies (Palacios-Vargas & Go´mez-Anaya,1993; Guilbert et al., 1994, 1995; Kitching et al., 1997; Palacios-Vargas et al., 1998, 1999). The humic soils associated with rain-forest epiphytes have also been likened to habitat islands withinthe matrix of the rainforest canopy (Paoletti et al., 1991).Although speculative, this suggestion is tantalising since it maylink studies of epiphyte-associ ated arthropod assemblages to awell-established field of ecological theory, i.e. MacArthur andWilson’s(1967)theoryofislandbiogeography.Rodgers and Kitching (1998) have shown that the relation-ship between collembolan assemblages in forest floor leaf litterand epiphyte-associated litter dep osits (hereafter, referred to assuspended litter) is vertically stratified and accords with somepredictions of island biogeographic theory (assuming that for-est floor leaf litter is a source of species colonising leaf litterdeposits suspended within the canopy). This relationship wassuch that the similarity of species composition was significantlygreater between forest floor and lower canopy suspended litterassemblages than between the forest floor and suspended litterin the upper canopy (Rodgers & Kitching, 1998). The remote-ness of the island (i.e. lower canopy cf upper canopy) was sug-gested to provide some explanation for these results (Rodgers& Kitching, 1998).In this article, studies of this epiphyte island hypothesisare extended. We suggest that if epiphytes are indeed insularhabitats, this will be reflected in the comparative species compo-

Plant species richness drives the density and diversity of Collembola in temperate grassland

Declining biodiversity is one of the most important aspects of anthropogenic global change phenomena, but the implications of plant species loss for soil decomposers are little understood. We used the experimental grassland community of the Jena Experiment to assess the response of density and diversity of Collembola to varying plant species richness, plant functional group richness and plant functional group identity. We sampled the experimental plots in spring and autumn four years after establishment of the experimental plant communities. Collembola density and diversity significantly increased with plant species and plant functional group richness highlighting the importance of the singular hypothesis for soil invertebrates. Generally, grasses and legumes beneficially affected Collembola density and diversity, whereas effects of small herbs usually were detrimental. These impacts were largely consistent in spring and autumn. By contrast, in the presence of small herbs the density of hemiedaphic Collembola and the diversity of Isotomidae increased in spring whereas they decreased in autumn. Beneficial impacts of plant diversity as well as those of grasses and legumes were likely due to increased root and microbial biomass, and elevated quantity and quality of plant residues serving as food resources for Collembola. By contrast, beneficial impacts of small herbs in spring probably reflect differences in microclimatic conditions, and detrimental effects in autumn likely were due to low quantity and quality of resources. The results point to an intimate relationship between plants and the diversity of belowground biota, even at small spatial scales, contrasting the findings of previous studies. The pronounced response of soil animals in the present study was presumably due to the fact that plant communities had established over several years. As decomposer invertebrates significantly impact plant performance, changes in soil biota density and diversity are likely to have major feedbacks on plant community productivity and composition.

Collembolan Density and Diversity in a Forest and an Agroecosystem

Collembola, commonly called “springtails” are wingless soft-bodied hexapods that are usually between 1 and 3 millimetres in length and occur in varying habits such as, soil surface and litter, under rocks or the bark of trees. The great majority develop in soil, feeding on fungi, bacteria, algae and decaying plant matter, and along with other soil fauna constitute the decomposer community. The present study examines the diversity, density, and seasonal variation patterns of collembolan fauna under different intensities of disturbance, as evidenced in a forest and an agroecosystem. Results indicate that both densities and diversity of collembola was higher in the forest than in the agroecosystem. Seasonal fluctuation exhibited an increase from spring to summer and autumn and a decrease during winter. The coorelation patterns with different chemo-edaphic factors did not show any specific trend.Indices of diversity and significant correlation values are discussed in light of landuse.

Effect of elevated O3 associated with Bt cotton on the abundance, diversity and community structure of soil Collembola

A strain of cotton that was modified to express a gene derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to combat cotton bollworm was extensively planted in China. Meanwhile, tropospheric ozone (O3) concentrations have increased alongside rapid industrialization and urbanization. Four treatments including two cotton varieties (Bt vs. non-Bt) and two concentrations of O3 (current vs. doubled) were designed to investigate the abundance and community structure of soil Collembola in open-top chambers (OTCs) in 2009.The above- and below-ground plant biomass and abundance of Collembola strongly decreased under elevated O3 compared with ambient atmospheric O3 in the OTCs. The abundance of Collembola from the genus Onychiurus and the diversity of Collembola were significantly lower in the Bt cotton OTCs compared with the non-Bt cotton OTCs. Under the elevated O3 level, the abundance and diversity of Collembola were significantly reduced in the non-Bt cotton fields but not in the Bt cotton fields at some cotton stages. In addition, the Bt cotton cultivation strongly decreased the diversity of Collembola under atmospheric conditions but not with elevated O3 levels.Our results suggest that Bt cotton can buffer the effect of elevated O3 on soil collembolans through the root-derived ways. In addition, elevated O3 had an extensive adverse effect on soil Collembola, but the effect of the Bt crop on Collembola was species-specific.

Effects of Medicago sativa, Taraxacum officinale and Bromus sterilis on the density and diversity of Collembola in grassy arable fallows of different ages

Abstract The density and diversity of Collembola of nine grassy arable fallows of different ages were investigated in a factorial design with the factors ‘plant species’ (legume: Medicago sativa, herb: Taraxacum officinale, grass: Bromus sterilis) and ‘age class’ (2–3, 6–8 and 12–15 years) including the random effect ‘site’ (1–9). In May 2008, four plots were selected randomly at each fallow. Within each plot five M. sativa, T. officinale and B. sterilis plants were extracted with their associated soil using steel cylinders. The material from each plant species was used for extraction of Collembola and for determination of environmental parameters. Thus, the new aspect of the present study compared to other field studies investigating the relationships between plant and Collembolan communities is the focus on the “micro-scale”, investigating the Collembolan communities of the soil associated with single plants. We found that species richness and density of total and euedaphic Collembola were significantly higher in B. sterilis than in T. officinale samples with the M. sativa samples being intermediate. Fine-root feeding euedaphic Collembola particularly benefited from the higher amount of fine roots in B. sterilis samples. We also discovered that the age of the fallows had no significant influence on the number of Collembolan species and the density of the Collembolan groups. Notably, however, species of the epedaphic genera Lepidocyrtus and Sminthurinus were associated with the 12–15 year-old fallows and presumably benefited from the high number of plant species in the old fallows. Finally, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that the soil organic matter content and the microbial biomass, both potential food sources for many Collembolan species, were important structuring forces for the Collembolan communities.

Impact of litter species diversity on decomposition processes and communities of soil organisms

The effect of plant species diversity and the C/N ratio of litter on soil processes were analysed in mesocosms in a three year field experiment. Plots 0.5 × 0.5 m with a depth of 15 cm containing sand mixed with loam were used to compare five natural and one artificial litter type (polypropylene string). Natural litters were either monospecific (I: Dactylis glomerata; II: Festuca rubra and III: Trifolium pratense) or were species mixtures (IV: mixture of three species I, II and III; V: mixture of twelve species, IV and nine other meadow plants). Differences among treatments in the litter decomposition rate, humic acid content and nematode density depended on the litter quality (C:N ratio) in most cases. By contrast, most of the differences among treatments found in the substratum below the litter cover resulted from litter diversity. The largest increase of carbon and nitrogen amount during growing season was found under litter mixtures (IV, V) and the highest fulvic acid content under the most diverse litter (V). Similarly, the production of algae in the substratum also significantly increased with litter diversity. Higher taxonomic diversity of Nematoda and Collembola and the most mature community of nematodes were observed under the most complex litter. Epigeic macrofauna, both dwelling in and penetrating the litter, did not differ significantly between experimental treatments. However, the highest share of predators was found in the treatment with the richest plant species diversity. In general, the results suggest that the decomposition of diverse plant litter enhances humus acid accumulation in soils. It is likely that algae participate in the process of humus formation.

Diversity Patterns of Collembola in an Elevational Gradient in the NW Slope of Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, State of Mexico, Mexico

Data are presented about the pattern diversity of springtails found in moss on bark along an elevational gradient (2,750–3,440 m) on the NW slope of Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, State of Mexico, Mexico. The study includes sampling carried out at seven elevations. Calculated indices were: species richness (S), Shannon's diversity index (H′), Pielou's evenness index (J′) and Simpson dominance (λ). A linear regression analysis was made to evaluate the effect of elevation on the total springtail density. The total number of species was 30, with 18 species from the lowest elevation and 9 species from the highest. The greatest density was obtained at the highest elevation. Pseudisotoma sensibilis, Willowsia mexicana and Americabrya arida were the dominant species, and there is a positive significant relationship between the elevation and their density. The greatest similarity between communities in agreement with dendrogram is near 80% between elevations of 3,115 and 3,250m.

Distribución y diversidad de colémbolos (Hexapoda: Collembola) en el gradiente altitudinal de un bosque templado en México

Mountain ecosystems have shown slow mineralization activity due to weather conditions, and to some groups with arthropods with special roles. The Collembola is an important group for litter fragmentation, showing different distribution patterns. The objective of the present study was to determine the diversity of Collembola along a volcano altitudinal gradient. For this, four sampling expeditions evaluated four altitudinal levels (I = 2 753, II = 3 015, III = 3 250 and IV = 3 687 masl) in Iztaccihuatl Volcano, from November 2003, and March, June and August 2004. Shannon diversity (H'), Pielou evenness (J') and Simpson dominance (1/lambda) indices were calculated. The similarity between the associations of springtails between the sampling sites was evaluated by a cluster analysis using the Pearson correlation coefficient, as distance and the unpaired arithmetic averages (UPGMA) as amalgamation method. A total of 24 075 springtails, distributed in 12 families, 46 genera and 86 species was collected. The higher species abundance was found at the altitudinal area II. The lowest diversity value was recorded in IV, while the higher diversity values were found in III. Significant differences between Shannon indices were found between zones II-III (t(0.01, 187) = 4.11, p < 0.05) and between III-IV (t(0.01, 187) = 3.8, p < 0.05) according to modified t-test. When considering sampling dates, no significant differences were found. The dendrogram showed that in composition the level I is more homogeneous throughout the year. In conclusion, a statistically significant seasonal variation in springtail abundances was not found, but it was observed that, the lower altitude (I) resulted more homogeneous along the studied period, followed by level II and III. There is a particular assemblage of springtails community in each altitudinal area studied; in general, the sites with low slope resulted more diverse in Collembola communities. These results show that there are important factors such as altitude, vegetation type and microhabitat heterogeneity that may affect the distribution of springtails communities along an altitudinal gradient.

Soil-dwelling Collembola in coniferous forests along the gradient of pollution with emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter

The results of three-year studies on Collembola communities in spruce-fir forests along the gradient of pollution with emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter (Revda, Sverdlovsk oblast) are presented. They show that the species and ecological structure of these communities change abruptly in the impact zone (1 km from the source of emissions), compared to the background zone (30 km from the source), which involves a decrease in the abundance and diversity of Collembola. Their total abundance and species richness in the zone of intermediate disturbance (7 and 4 km) are considerably higher than in the background zone, and the species structure of communities is characterized by superdominance. Four species groups differing in sensitivity to pollution are distinguished. Preference for zones with different pollution levels in closely related species is regarded as a case of ecological vicariation.

Biodiversity of Collembola in urban soils and their use as bioindicators for pollution

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of pollutants on the abundance and diversity of Collembola in urban soils. The research was carried out in three parks (Cişmigiu, Izvor and Unirea) in downtown Bucharest, where the intense car traffic accounts for 70% of the local air pollution. One site in particular (Cişmigiu park) was highly contaminated with Pb, Cd, Zn and Cu at about ten times the background levels of Pb. Collembola were sampled in 2006 (July, September, November) using the transect method: 2,475 individuals from 34 species of Collembola were collected from 210 samples of soil and litter. Numerical densities differed significantly between the studied sites.The influence of air pollutants on the springtail fauna was visible at the species richness diversity and soil pollution levels. Species richness was lowest in the most contaminated site (Cismigiu, 11 species), which presented an increase in springtails abundances, though. Some species may become resistant to pollution and occur in high numbers of individuals in polluted sites, which makes them a good bioindicator of pollutants.

Diversity of springtails (Hexapoda) according to a altitudinal gradient

The objective of this work was to elevate gradient effect on diversity of Collembola, in a temperate forest on the northeast slope of Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, Mexico. Four expeditions were organized from November 2003 to August 2004, at four altitudes (2,753, 3,015, 3,250 and 3,687 m a.s.l.). In each site, air temperature, CO2 concentration, humidity, and terrain inclination were measured. The influence of abiotic factors on faunal composition was evaluated, at the four collecting sites, with canonical correspondence analyses (CCA). A total of 24,028 specimens were obtained, representing 12 families, 44 genera and 76 species. Mesaphorura phlorae, Proisotoma ca. tenella and Parisotoma ca. notabilis were the most abundant species. The highest diversity and evenness were recorded at 3,250 m (H' = 2.85; J' = 0.73). Canonical analyses axes 1 and 2 of the CCA explained 67.4% of the variance in species composition, with CO2 and altitude best explaining axis 1, while slope and humidity were better correlated to axis 2. The results showed that CO2 is an important factor to explain Collembola species assemblage, together with slope and humidity.

Effects of understory structure on the abundance, richness and diversity of Collembola (Arthropoda) in southern Brazil

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different landscape structures on the understory Collembola community. Four different forest physiognomies were compared: Pinus spp. plantation, Eucalyptus spp. plantation, Araucaria angustifolia plantation, and a remaining native Araucaria forest. Three areas containing two sampling units (25 mx2 m each) were selected in each forest physiognomy. Understory Collembola collection was done with a 1x1 m canvas sheet held horizontally below the vegetation, which was beaten with a 1 m long stick, seasonally from September 2003 to August 2004. We evaluated the influence of forest physiognomies on the abundance, richness and diversity of Collembola communities. It was also verified if the habitat structure of each physiognomy was associated with the composition of the Collembola community. A total number of 4,111 individuals were collected belonging to the families Entomobrydae and Tomocerida (Entomobryomorpha), and Sminthuridae (Symphypleona), and divided in 12 morphospecies. Pinus plantation presented the highest richness, abundance and diversity of Collembola and it was associated to diverse understory vegetation. The abundance of Entomobrydae and Sminthuridae was associated to the presence of bushes, while Tomoceridae abundance was associated to the presence of trees. The habitat structure, measured through understory vegetation density and composition, plays an important role on the determination of the structure and composition of the Collembola community.

The Collembola community of a Central European forest: Influence of tree species composition

The present study investigates the response of the Collembola community to replacement of beech by spruce or by mixed stands of beech and spruce in the Solling mountains (Germany). The study was carried out in three beech ( Fagus sylvatica), spruce ( Picea abies) and mixed stands of beech and spruce arranged in three blocks. The density, diversity and community structure of Collembola as well as microbial and abiotic parameters in the organic layers and mineral soil of the three spruce, three beech and three mixed stands were investigated. Major results are: (i) Collembola communities did not differ strongly between stand types and were dominated by Folsomia quadrioculata and Mesaphorura species, (ii) neither total abundance of Collembola nor densities of the hemiedaphic species F. quadrioculata, Parisotoma notabilis and Isotomiella minor significantly responded to stand type, (iii) in the mixed stands the fungal biomass was increased leading to high densities of fungal feeding Collembola (e.g. Mesaphorura sp.) and high species numbers of Collembola, (iv) the density of the epedaphic and partly herbivorous group Entomobryidae/Tomoceridae in the spruce stands exceeded that in the mixed and beech stands; presumably this was due to the higher diversity of the ground vegetation in the spruce stands. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of the collembolan communities of L/F and H/Ah horizons also indicated that most of the epedaphic species were associated with the spruce stands. Moreover, results of the CCA indicated that soil pH is an important structuring force for collembolan communities. Overall, results suggest that stand type impact collembolan communities, presumably via changes in the amount and quality of food resources, such as fungal biomass and living plant material. However, differences in collembolan community structure between the investigated stand types were moderate supporting earlier findings that Collembola generally respond little to changes in the vegetation structure.

Field trials to evaluate effects of Bt-transgenic silage corn expressing the Cry1Ab insecticidal toxin on non-target soil arthropods in northern New England, USA

Traditionally, control of European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) Hübner has been achieved through the use of chemical insecticides. With increasing emphasis on reducing pesticide inputs in agricultural production, alternative management technologies are now being used including transgenic silage corn modified to express Cry1Ab protein toxins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner. The Cry1Ab toxin is expressed by all plant cells and throughout the growing season. Furthermore, the toxins are exuded from corn plant roots into the rhizosphere, raising concerns over possible side-effects on non-target beneficial organisms in the same habitat. In addition, detrivores are exposed to crop residues containing the toxin when incorporated into the soil. The current 2-year study (2003, 2004) evaluated effects of two silage-corn varieties: Pioneer var. 38A25 (Bt-corn expressing the Cry1Ab toxin) and Pioneer var. 38A24 (parent isoline) on species diversity and evenness of carabid beetles and Collembola. Pitfall traps were used to collect surface-dwelling species on a bimonthly schedule from April to October. Soil cores were taken once a month from April to October to sample subterranean species, which were extracted using Berlese funnels. All individuals were recorded and identified where possible to species level for analysis in the Simpson's D and Shannon-Wiener H' diversity indices. Evenness was measured using Simpson's E', after which dominant species were analyzed in a multivariate ordination analysis. Results showed Bt-corn had no negative effects on any of the organisms analyzed. There was a significant year effect on the abundance of surface-dwelling Collembola and on species diversity of soil-dwelling Collembola. Our findings suggest that crop management practices and/or environmental conditions (e.g., heavy rainfall during the 2004 growing season) had the greatest impact on species diversity and evenness, rather than the crop itself (Bt or isoline).

Colêmbolos (Hexapoda: Collembola) como bioindicadores de qualidade do solo em áreas com Araucaria angustifolia

Não existem informações sobre a diversidade de colêmbolos associados às florestas com Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze no Brasil. Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar o potencial da diversidade de famílias de colêmbolos como bioindicadores da qualidade do solo e para separar diferentes áreas com araucária, utilizando atributos químicos e microbiológicos do solo como variáveis explicativas. O estudo foi realizado em quatro áreas: 1. floresta nativa com predominância de araucária (NF); 2. reflorestamento de araucária (R); 3. reflorestamento de araucária submetido a incêndio acidental (RF); e 4. pastagem natural com araucárias nativas e ocorrência de incêndio acidental (NPF). Na captura dos organismos, utilizaram-se dez armadilhas, distribuídas ao acaso em cada área, nos mesmos pontos de coleta dos atributos químicos e microbiológicos do solo. O número de colêmbolos de cada família, extraído por armadilhas (abundância), o índice de diversidade de Shannon (H) e a riqueza de famílias foram submetidos à Análise de Variância (ANOVA). A abundância de cada família de Collembola foi submetida à Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP). Considerando as quatro áreas, foram identificadas oito famílias de colêmbolos (Brachystomellidae, Entomobryidae, Hypogastruridae, Isotomidae, Katiannidae, Paronellidae, Sminthuridae e Tomoceridae). A diversidade de famílias de colêmbolos foi maior nas áreas NF e R, em comparação com as áreas RF e NPF. Os atributos químicos e microbiológicos do solo foram eficientes como variáveis explicativas, pois auxiliaram na interpretação das modificações das famílias de colêmbolos. A ACP mostrou que a identificação ao nível de família de Collembola é suficiente para separar as áreas estudadas, além de indicar quais foram as famílias de colêmbolos mais associadas a cada área, o que possibilita sua utilização como bioindicadores de intervenções antrópicas, bem como da qualidade do solo.

Collembola as bioindicators of restoration in mined sand dunes of Northeastern Brazil

Opencast mining causes severe environmental impacts by removing the vegetation cover and depleting the fauna. Reforestation methods using native species and diverse pre- and post-disturbance approaches aim to recover the original richness and diversity of species found before the impact. Bioindicators are powerful tools to evaluate the restoration of the original environmental conditions in disturbed areas. We used species richness, endemism and diversity measurements of Collembola to compare successional stages in reforested sites of different ages compared with a control undisturbed area. Richness and abundance of Collembola were subjected to correlation analysis with age of plots and vegetational variables. Areas that were reforested for up to 16 years supported a much lower Collembola species richness than undisturbed areas. Both the age of reforestation plots and vegetation variables (number of trees, diameter of crowns, depth of leaf litter and tree species richness) were positively and significantly correlated to collembolan abundance and richness. The results showed that the diversity of the 16-year-old plot was significantly higher than that of younger areas, but significantly less diverse than that of the control area. Endemic species were more sensitive to disturbance than non-endemics. Thus, species richness and diversity of soil Collembola can be only partially restored with appropriate reforestation methods, and although it takes many years, to some extent even endemic species can be gradually restored. Nevertheless, the maintenance of undisturbed diversity reservoirs linked by ecological corridors to reforested plots is imperative, as only undisturbed areas can support most of the endemic species able to re-colonize reforested sites.