| Summary: | The diversity and density of springtails (Collembola) were studied in an organically managed grass-clover ley at Tingvoll experimental farm in NW Norway during 2011–2012. In total after one sampling in 2011 and 3 samplings in 2012, 42 species were identified. Our results included a new species for the Norwegian fauna, Onychiurus edinensis (Bagnall, 1935) and one species very unusual to agricultural soils, Oligaphorura ursi (Fjellberg, 1984). The most abundant species was Parisotoma notabilis (Schäffer, 1896), followed by three species of Mesaphorura Börner, 1901, two species of Protaphorura Absolon, 1901 and Isotomurus graminis Fjellberg, 2007. A high number of P. notabilis has also been found in pastures in Iceland (Gudleifsson & Bjarnadottir 2008), in forest habitats in Norway (Hågvar 1982, Fjellberg et al. 2005) and in agricultural soil in Denmark (Axelsen & Kristensen 2000) and Sweden (Lagerlöf & Andrén 1991). The average density of springtails was 7 917 individuals m-2 in 2011. In 2012, the density was generally higher and varied between 16 182 and 41 515. We have proposed a grouping of the species into “epigeic” and “endogeic”, dependent on the presence or absence of eye organs and colour. Such classification is relatively easy and may give useful information in cases when identification to species is not possible.
|
|---|