The Effect of Clearing on the Soil Arthropods of a Nigerian Rain Forest

Soil microarthropod communities from Mediterranean forest ecosystems in Central Italy under different disturbances

“…It is generally accepted that removal of trees by clear cutting, or other methods, has a significant effect on the invertebrate fauna of the forest floor (Heliovaara and Vaisanen 1984;Hoekstra et al 1995). The effects on arthropod communities are complex and difficult to analyse since various taxonomic groups are affected and they react to impacts differently (Bird et al 2000;Hill et al 1975;Huhta et al 1967;Lasebikan 1975;Vlug and Borden 1973). The separate analyses of the different impacts are a useful way to find clear patterns in such a complex system.…”

Influence of habitat, litter type, and soil invertebrates on leaf-litter decomposition in a fragmented Amazonian landscape

“…These organisms play a vital role in leaf-litter decomposition, by consuming litter and, by physically breaking up organic material, facilitating the activity of microbes (Petersen and Luxton 1982;Bradford et al 2002). Variations in the abundance, species richness, and composition of many groups of soil invertebrates are known to occur in response to edge effects or changes in vegetation cover (Lasebikan 1976;Belshaw and Bolton 1993;Eggleton et al 1995;Didham 1997;Carvalho and Vasconcelos 1999;Vasconcelos 1999). Similarly, deforestation and forest fragmentation may affect litter quality by favoring the recruitment of successional-tree species at the expense of old-growth species (Laurance et al 1998), as these two groups can differ strongly in nutrient, carbon, lignin, and phenolic contents (Coley 1983;Newberry and de Foresta 1985;Mesquita et al 1998;Xuluc-Tolosa et al 2003).…”