Long term impacts of ground skidding on structure of soil macrofauna associations in Hyrcanian Beech Forests

Subject Areas : entomology and othea arthropods

D.  Kartoolinejad ¹ (Department of Forestry, Faculty of Desert Studies of Semnan University, Semnan province, Iran)
A.  Najafi ² (Department of Forestry, Tarbiat Modares University, Nour, Mazandaran province, Iran)
M.  Shayanmehr ³ (Department of Plant Protection, Sari Agricultural science and Natural Resource University, Sari, Mazandaran province, Iran)

Received: 2011-05-05 Accepted : 2012-11-05 Published : 2013-08-23

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Abstract :

In this study, the effect of ground based skidding using rubber-tired skidder in changing the soil fauna associations of surface of skid trails with the age of 5, 10, 15 and 20 years were investigated in Hyrcanian Forests, north of Iran. Comparison of structural features and biological indices of soil macro-invertebrate communities living on trails showed extreme decreasing of density, number of taxa, and abundance of macrofauna in 5-year trail. Total biomass of macrofauna had not significant difference; but 5-year trail showed lowest mean value. Shannon’s biodiversity and Margalef’s richness indices also had minimum mean value in 5-year and maximum in 20-year trail and control forest respectively. Moreover, comparison among traffic segments showed a minimum mean value of these variables related to high traffic and maximum to low traffic segments. The results of current publication demonstrated severe impacts of skidder on soil invertebrate communities on trails surface even until 20 years. But induced impacts at macrofauna communities was actively improving and recovering during times.