| Checklist of the Collembola: Collembola assemblages under the invasive Senecio inaequidens and the native S. jacobaea |
L. De Bruyn1,2, F. Janssens2, V. Vanparys3
1 Research Institute for nature and Forest (INBO), 1070 Brussel, Belgium
2 Evolutionary Ecology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
3 Genetics, Reproduction & Populations, Universit‚ Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain, Belgium
Correspondence: luc.debruyn@inbo.be
Abstract
In the present study we assessed the effects of the invasive Senecio inaequidens (Asteraceae), one of the most invasive species in Europe, on the soil fauna. As a control we used the related native S. jacobaea. Both species can occur in the same open habitats and share quite similar life history traits (height, perennial habit,...). The invasive S. inaequidens is a perennial pioneer of dry habitats. The native S. jacobaea is a common biennial (to perennial) of various types of grassland. The aim of the study was to assess whether the invasive S. inaequidens alters the faunal composition of the Collembola communities. At the sample locality (Antwerpen, Belgium) three sample sites were selected: (1) dominated by S. inaequidens, (2) dominated by S. jacobaea and (3) both species equidominant. In each site, four pairs (one S. inaequidens and one S. jacobaea, maximum 1.5m apart) of plants were selected. The soil fauna was sampled in the rootzone of the plants in the autumn of 2006 with core samplers (5 cm deep, 8 cm diameter) and extracted with Berlese-Tullgren. Overall, we collected 1423 specimens belonging to 20 taxa. 5 species were found in significantly higher numbers under the native S. jacobaea while 1 species had higher numbers under S. inaequidens.
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