Patterns of Invertebrate Recolonization Following Fire Disturbance in Long Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park

Kendall, Deborah; Vanfleet, Stephen

Invertebrate community recolonization patterns were examined at 10 sites representing five different habitat types in fire burned and unburned areas in Mesa Verde National Park. In 1989 a wildfire burned a large area producing a mosaic of burned and unburned habitats. Fire opened the canopy and allowed for establishment of early successional plant communities. Sweep net and pit trap sampling were used to examine the pattern of invertebrate recolonization of the fire burned areas. Established invertebrate communities were examined in unburned sites. The six most common orders of insects obtained from sweep net samples were: Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera. Densities of all orders were greater in burned sites compared to unburned areas. The three most common insect orders obtained by pit trap sampling were: Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera. There were greater numbers of individuals in Coleoptera and Orthoptera in burned sites compared to unburned sites. Numbers of Hymenoptera did not appear to differ between burned and unburned sites. Migratory ability of invertebrates in areas adjacent to the disturbed area, variation in vegetational architecture and diversity and severity of the disturbance may influence these differences. Fire burned areas also possess leaf litter and permit greater physical movement of insect species. A representative sample of the invertebrates was examined for family and species diversity. Differences in species diversity between burned and unburned habitats were evident in the Coleoptera.