Windthrow Impact on Alpine Forest Humipedon: Soil Microarthropod Communities and Humus Dynamics Five Years after an Extreme Windstorm Event

Francesca Visentin, Sara Remelli, Augusto Zanella and Cristina Menta ()
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Francesca Visentin: Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
Sara Remelli: Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy
Augusto Zanella: Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro, Italy
Cristina Menta: Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: The ecological impact of windthrow disturbance on humipedons and soil microarthropod communities is examined in two areas of the Italian Alps (Val di Fassa and Cansiglio) five years after the Vaia Storm. The following soil coverage conditions were identified: herbaceous vegetation (G), decaying wood (W), no vegetation (B) in windthrow areas; and these were compared with conditions in adjacent undisturbed intact forests (IF) and, only in Val di Fassa, with permanent meadows (M). Soil pH, soil organic matter content (SOM), humus systems and microarthropod communities were analyzed. In Val di Fassa, SOM loss was observed in windthrow areas vs. IF, moving toward a Mull humus system, while G evolved toward M-like conditions, W maintained a thicker O horizon and lower pH and B exhibited severe soil erosion and the lowest SOM. In Cansiglio, windthrow areas showed a slower transition to a Mull system, with a trend toward increasing pH and decreasing SOM. A clear relationship between microarthropod communities and humus systems could not be established because the consistency and biological origins of the humus diagnostic horizons were not considered. Microarthropod communities under different conditions exhibited significant dissimilarity, with varying responses across groups; Shannon and QBS-ar indices remained stable except for a significant decrease in B. Community dissimilarity thus appears to be enhanced by post-windthrow disturbance, suggesting that destructive windstorms may also present an opportunity for enriched microarthropod diversity.

Keywords: soil fauna; humipedon; windthrow; humus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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