Abundance, Distribution, and Effects of Clearcutting on Cryptostigmata in the Southern Appalachians

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Abstract
Oribatid mites were sampled from deep soil, soil cores, litter bags, and woody litter on a clearcut and adjacent control hardwood watershed at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina. The inclusion of woody litter and deep soil samples caused the total number of genera found to reach 72, as opposed to the 37–42 genera range reported in other studies. The more common genera were assigned to three habitat types based on stratification data. The fauna was similar to those of other holarctic study sites. Sampling a greater variety of habitat types yielded a richer fauna than intensive sampling of a few habitat types. Clearcutting caused a reduction in numbers and a shift in faunal dominance. This effect is attributed to temperature-humidity phenomena rather than to food availability.

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