TY - JOUR T1 - Microarthropods of burned and unburned tallgrass prairie JF - Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society Y1 - 1984 A1 - Seastedt, T.R. KW - tallgrass prairie AB -

Microarthropod densities in the top 5 cm of soil of tallgrass prairie averaged 47,700 individuals/m2 on burned sites versus 73,800 individuals/m2 on sites not burned for the last 5 years. Oribatid mites, mesostigmatid mites and collembolans were more numerous on unburned sites while prostigamatid mite numbers were not affected by burning. Densities of microarthropods in the uppermost 5 cm of soil were correlated with the amount of litterfall at various sites, but were not correlated with indices of plant productivity. Numbers of microarthropods at the 5-10 cm layer of soil were not different on burned and unburned sites and averaged 20,200 individuals/m2. A preliminary survey of the mites (Acari) on Konza Prairie indicated a minimum of 81 species. The mite fauna appears as diverse as other temperate ecosystems

VL - 57 ER -