Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 7.4
Yearly Mean Biomass and Monthly Mean Range of Earthworm Communities
in Three Forest Ecosystems from the Apuseni Mountains (May-October 1979)
(g m
-2
earthworms preserved in formalin)
Ecosystem
Species
Mean
Minimum
Maximum
Fir tree, acid brown soil (Calineasa)
D. alpina
2.380.29 (Oct)
4.96 (Jun)
D. clujensis
1.250.12 (Oct)
2.77 (Aug)
D. byblica
0.270.06 (Jun)
0.73 (Aug)
Total
3.900.34 (Oct)
7.35 (Jun)
Mixed beech-fir, brown forest soil
(Prul Ponor)
A. dacica
0.54
0.18 (Oct)
1.11 (Jun)
A. rosea
0.12
0.10 (May)
0.48 (Sep)
D. alpina
0.70
0.50 (May)
1.21 (Aug)
D. byblica
1.93
1.10 (Oct)
2.91 (Jul)
D. clujensis
2.39
0.15 (Oct)
7.12 (Aug)
O. compromissus
0.39
0.08 (Oct)
1.54 (May)
Total
6.07
2.02 (Oct)
11.14 (Aug)
Beech forest, cambic rendzina (Padis)
D. alpina
0.10
0.01 (Sep)
0.23 (Aug)
D. byblica
1.50
0.67 (Oct)
3.00 (Aug)
D. clujensis
9.29
3.03 (Jul)
15.79 (Aug)
O. bihariensis
14.17
3.91 (Oct)
23.38 (Jul)
O. frivaldszkyi
93.65
25.02 (May)
204.09 (Aug)
Octodrilus
(juv)
8.34
5.29 (Jul)
19.92 (Aug)
Total
127.0
53.60 (May)
256.97 (Aug)
cambic rendzina from the Padis karstic plateau were described (Pop and Postulache 1987). Subse-
quent field research confirmed the occurrence of vermic characters in other soils in which the larger
Octodrilus
species are present. Thus, vermic soil subtypes could be identified and described as new
to science in rendzinas (mollisols); in eubasic, mesobasic, and argillic brown earth (cambisols);
and even in podzolic brown soils (spodosols) (Pop and Vasu 1995). Here, the vermic characters of
three different soil types (a cambic rendzina, a eubasic brown earth, and a podzolic brown soil)
are discussed. They are soils developed under beech forests, but from different parent material, and
are classified into three different soil classes: mollisols, cambisols, and spodosols.
Site descriptions are as follows:
¤Padis, the Apuseni Mountains, 1300-m altitude, beech forest (As.
Phylitidi Fagetum
), a
vermic cambic rendzina on dolomitic limestone
¤Buces Vulcan, the Apuseni Mountains, 550-m altitude, beech forest (As.
Phylitidi Fag-
etum
), a cambic brown earth on volcanic breccia with quartz, calcite, and andesite
¤Dealul Mare, Abrud, the Apuseni Mountains, 800-m altitude, beech forest (As.
Symphyto
cordati Fagetum
), a vermic podzolic brown soil on orthogneiss and schists
T
HE
E
ARTHWORM
C
OMMUNITIES
In all three sites, similar earthworm community patterns were found but with different species
