Meeting Abstract

P3.120  Monday, Jan. 6 15:30  The Effect of a Nature Trail on Soil Invertebrate Recolonization MANCIA, S.I.*; HUANG, X; CHOW, M.H.; MCMILLAN, B; JACOBS, M.W.; McDaniel College; McDaniel College; McDaniel College; Bryn Mawr School; McDaniel College sim001@mcdaniel.edu

A nature trail is a man made path penetrating the ecology of the forest floor. The soil in nature trails is more compacted, dryer, and has less vegetative cover than nearby forest floor soil. These physical differences in soil composition may affect the movement of soil invertebrates and the composition of soil invertebrate communities. We tested the hypothesis that recolonization rates into sterile soil would differ depending on the proximity of the soil to a nature trail. We placed cylindrical mesh traps containing sterile soil near and far from a nature trail, and measured recolonization rates after days 5 and 10. We observed substantial recolonization by day 5, and total abundance continued to increase until day 10. Shannon-Wiener biodiversity was significantly higher in experimental samples compared to nearby controls on both days 5 and 10, suggesting that disturbance attracts a greater diversity of soil invertebrates. Proximity to the path was negatively correlated with total abundance in recolonized soil but not in nearby control samples, although this trend was not significant. These results suggest that nature trails may serve as barriers between invertebrate communities. Our recolonization assay will serve as an effective tool for further tests of this hypothesis.