Arthropods, plants and transmission lines in Arizona: community dynamics during secondary succession in a desert grassland

Journal Article · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1980 · J. Environ. Manage.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6577231

Butt, S M; Beley, J R; Ditsworth, T M; Johnson, C D; Balda, R P

In 1972, access roads were constructed and then used by heavy equipment to build a 500 kV powerline in north central Arizona. Secondary succession of arthropods was studied till 1977 by comparing the initially bare soil of the roads with undisturbed control plots nearby. It was found that, after construction, total anthropod densities were reduced for two to three years, that after five years no anthropod taxa had greater densities on the disturbed areas, but some were significantly reduced, the diversity of arthropods dropped for a period of three or four years, that arthropod community similarity of the two study plots appeared to be related to total cover of plants and similarity of plant communities, the significant correlations between arthropod taxa suggested that the plant communities of the two plots are close in successional status, plant succession was not as rapid as expected, and the disturbed area had a great reduction in perennial grasses but an increase in annual herbs. The numerical dominance of herbivores on both disturbed and control plots, especially after construction, supports the hypothesis that linear, predominantly grazing food chains are characteristic of early successional stages.

• Research Organization: Northern Arizona Univ., Flagstaff
• OSTI ID: 6577231
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Manage.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Manage.; (United States) Vol. 11:3; ISSN JEVMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510500 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560304* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Invertebrates-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANIMALS
ARID LANDS
ARIZONA
ARTHROPODS
CONSTRUCTION
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DESERTS
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FOOD CHAINS
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANTS
POPULATION DYNAMICS
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
ROADS
SOILS
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
USA
WESTERN REGION