Southern Research Station

Title: Long-Term Prescribed Burning Regime Has Little Effect on Springtails in Pine Stands of Southern Arkansas

Author: Renschin, Michele L.; Thompson, Lynne C.; Shelton, Michael G.

Date: 2004

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–71. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 79-81

Description: Concerns regarding the impacts of prescribed fires on faunal communities in pine stands have led to numerous studies. One soil/litter insect that may be influenced by fire is springtails, an important member of the forest floor community. A study was conducted in burned and unburned loblolly/shortleaf pine stands in southeastern Arkansas to examine whether springtail abundance, composition, and diversity were different between areas burned every 2 to 3 years over the past 20 years and areas not burned at all. Litterbags were used to collect springtails periodically over a 10-month period. Comparisons of springtail populations for the two treatments were analyzed by abundance, diversity, and similarity. A total of 5,528 individuals were collected, but only 92 percent could be identified to family; identified specimens represented 24 genera and 10 families. The prescribed fires significantly affected only one genus, Orchesella, which occurred in burned areas more frequently than in unburned areas. Springtail diversity was not affected by burning. Dendrograms based on Jaccard and Sorenson (Bray-Curtis) similarity indices showed no distinct grouping of the treatments. These results indicate that springtail populations on the sites are influenced more by other environmental factors than by prescribed fire.

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Citation

Renschin, Michele L.; Thompson, Lynne C.; Shelton, Michael G.  2004.  Long-Term Prescribed Burning Regime Has Little Effect on Springtails in Pine Stands of Southern Arkansas.   Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS–71. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 79-81