Feral pig removal: Effect on soil microarthropods in a Hawaiian rain forestстатья
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Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 13 февраля 2017 г.
Аннотация:Abstract: Microarthropod communities provide a valuable indicator of soil conditions, and feral pigs (Sus scrofa) can be harmful to native forest ecosystems. Thus, I attempted to delineate feral pig impact and successional recovery of microarthropod populations in a Hawaiian rain forest ecosystem. I examined succession of soil microarthropod communities in fenced areas after removal of feral pigs in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. During 7 years of forest recovery, microarthropod density in soil increased nearly 2 times, and the amount of biomass rose by 2.5 times. Springtails (Collembola spp.) were dominant among microarthropods, and their populations reflected changing soil conditions during forest recovery. The numbers of species of springtails doubled, endemic springtails increased, and cosmopolitan species decreased during forest restoration. Density of springtails increased by 3.5 times, and the amount of biomass grew by 6 times. Springtails were affected primarily by soil density. Although feral pig activity in native Hawaiian rain forests devastated soil microarthropod communities, fencing and removal of pigs can restore this important group of soil decomposers in 7 years.