EFFECTS OF FOREST FIRE ON DIVERSITY OF SOIL ARTHROPODS AT PHU KRADUNG NATIONAL PARK

Abstract

The study was carried out in hill evergreen forest, pine forest, mixed deciduous forest, and dry dipterocarp forest at Phu Kradung National Park, Loei province. Changes of diversity and density of soil arthropods were then separated from the collected samples and classified into classes, orders, families, genera, and counted the individual numbers. Ten temporary plots of 1 x 1 m² in size of each were laid out in areas of unburned and burned areas of each forest type. The results revealed that after fire, diversity and density of soil arthropods were decreased in all forest types. Soil arthropods in the pine forest had the most decreasing percentages of class, order, family, genus, and individaul with the figures of 20.00, 43.37. 54.55, 63.64, and 73.22, respectively. The subsequence decrease of these percentages were in the mixed deciduous forest, dry dipterocarp forest, and hill evergreen forest, respectively. Soil arthropods in the hill evergreen forest had the least decreasing percentages of class, order, family, genus, and individaul with the figures of 0.00, 27.27, 32.08, 53.06. and 53.96, respectively.