Effects of litter collection by understory palms on the associated microinvertebrate fauna in Central Amazonia

Abstract

Due to characteristics of their morphology acaulescent palms act as litter traps, funneling leaves and small branches from the overstory directly to the palm root zone. The effects of this trapping of litter macroinvertebrates were analyzed by comparing the population density and number of macroinvertebrates groups in the litter trapped by 2 palm species (one from terra-firme forest, one from swap forest) with that of the litter accumulated on the adjacent soil. In both havitats and for most invertebrate groups the number of individuals was significantly higher in the litter collected by the palms than in that accumulated in the adjacent soil. Mean number of macroinvertebrate groups was also higher in the palm samples than in the soil samples. Litter trapping increased litter depth. Litter depth is probably the major factor determining the observed differences. -from Author