%0 Journal Article %J Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society %D 1984 %T Microarthropods of burned and unburned tallgrass prairie %A Seastedt, T.R. %K tallgrass prairie %X
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
%B Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society %V 57 %P 468 -476 %G eng %M KNZ0072 %R http://www.jstor.org/stable/25084545