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The effects of landscaping mulch on invertebrate populations and soil characteristics

Jordan, Kyle K
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092784271

Abstract Details

2004, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Entomology.
This research included both a descriptive component to quantitatively assess invertebrates in central Ohio landscapes and an experimental study that investigated the differences between four types of newly-established mulch habitats (hardwood, pine bark, recycled wood, and pea gravel) in terms of invertebrate populations and soil characteristics. In both studies, invertebrates were significantly more prevalent in mulched plots than in bare soil plots. Though they were present year-round in mulch, invertebrates reached their highest total numbers during the autumn. Millipedes were the most prevalent macroinvertebrate, followed by small (<2 cm) soil-dwelling oligochaetes. Other organisms regularly found in mulch included isopods, centipedes, ants, beetles, termites, larger (>2 cm) olicochaetes (earthworms), and spiders. The experimental study demonstrated that an invertebrate population can become established in less than a month in a novel mulch ecosystem. The three most prevalent groundcover types adjacent to surveyed structures in central Ohio were hardwood mulch (40%), bare soil (24%), and cypress mulch (10%). In the descriptive study, hardwood and cypress mulch harbored significantly more invertebrates than other groundcovers. Likewise, in the experimental study, organic mulch plots produced significantly more invertebrates than pea gravel mulch plots, which often did not differ significantly from bare soil plots. Mulch depth does not have a significant effect on the number of organisms found in mulch. After one year, bare soil plots experienced a decrease in organic matter, whereas soil beneath hardwood mulch experienced an increase in both nitrogen and organic matter. Other mulch plots were variable as to whether the underlying soil lost or gained organic matter or nitrogen. Soil moisture levels were higher in bare soil plots than mulch-covered soil during the spring, but were significantly lower during other seasons. Hardwood mulch was associated with both higher moisture levels and higher soil temperatures in the autumn.
Susan Jones (Advisor)
93 p.
Biology, Entomology
millipede; centipede; oligochaete; soil moisture; soil temperature; soil nitrogen; organic matter

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jordan, K. K. (2004). The effects of landscaping mulch on invertebrate populations and soil characteristics [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092784271

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jordan, Kyle. The effects of landscaping mulch on invertebrate populations and soil characteristics. 2004. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092784271.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jordan, Kyle. "The effects of landscaping mulch on invertebrate populations and soil characteristics." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1092784271

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1092784271
6,562
© 2004, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.