Soil Macroinvertebrate Inventory at Congaree National Park

Joseph QM and Sharon KA. Soil Macroinvertebrate Inventory at Congaree National Park. 2022-2024. National Park Service

Soil macroinvertebrates are important regulators of decomposition, nutrient cycling, and soil structure, yet baseline inventories remain limited for many protected areas. This study represents the first large-scale, DNA-based survey of soil macroinvertebrate biodiversity across ecotonal gradients in Congaree National Park. From 74 samples collected between September 2022 and November 2024, a total of 766 individual macroinvertebrates were recovered, of which 70% were successfully assigned to taxonomic rank using barcoding of the COI locus. Congaree's bottomland forests support the highest soil macroinvertebrate diversity and host both ecologically important native species and, alarmingly, invasive taxa. The litter layer serves as a biodiversity reservoir essential for ecosystem function, while the presence of invasive earthworms and ants highlights ongoing threats to soil integrity and native macroinvertebrate biodiversity. Establishing sustained DNA-based monitoring, expanding reference databases, and integrating biodiversity data with functional ecosystem metrics will be critical to protecting Congaree’s belowground biodiversity and maintaining the park’s ecological resilience.

Type
Project
Authors
Joseph, Quattro; Sharon, Kendrick
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
CONG
Keywords
CONG, Congaree National Park, IMD, Macroinvertebrates, National Park Service, NPS, NPS Inventory and Monitoring Division, NPS Species Inventory Program

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