The impact of soil quality on macro-invertebrate and tree richness and abundance at glacial sites.

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to test whether soil quality had an impact on the richness and abundance of soil invertebrates and trees, as well as tree growth, in an outwash plain and moraine. We measured the DBH and recorded the species and number of trees. We also collected invertebrates using pitfall traps and leaf litter plots and analyzed soil for moisture content, pH, % C and % N. We found that there was a significant difference in distribution of invertebrate classes between the two sites (p < .05), but the differences in biodiversity and abundance of soil invertebrates were not statistically significant. Trees grow larger, are more abundant, and more diverse in the moraine, which may be due to differences in pH. Trees may be better indicators of soil quality than soil invertebrates, and geographic location could play a bigger role in predicting biodiversity than glacial history.