SOIL MACROINVERTEBRATES AND LITTER DISAPPEARANCE IN A JAPANESE MIXED DECIDUOUS FOREST AND COMPARISON WITH EUROPEAN DECIDUOUS FORESTS AND TROPICAL RAIN-FORESTS

Soil macro-invertebrates and rate of litter disappearance were studied in a ridge plot with moder (mor) humus and a bottom plot with mull hu mus on a slope in a temperate mixed deciduous forest in Kyoto, Japan ( J). The results were compared with those from two German beech forests (G) representative of European deciduous forest mor and mull. Between -plot differences in biomass of total saprophagous animals was much sm aller in J than in G, which is dominated by earthworms. Susceptibility to soil acidity and zoogeographical distribution of earthworms were s uggested to be related to this situation. Biomass of soil macro-invert ebrates and litter turnover rare were compared among J, G and three ty pes of tropical rainforests in Malaysia (M) in relation to climatic co nditions. Taking into account among-site differences in temperature an d moisture, which affect microbial activity and in biomass of sapropha gous macro-invertebrates especially earthworms, the following order of importance of soil macro-invertebrates in determining the rate of lit ter disappearance was suggested: G > J > M. Based on the comparison of biomass of earthworms among European deciduous forests, Japanese deci duous forests and tropical rainforests, as well as on the presence or absence of anecic earthworms in these forests, it was suggested that t his ranking could be generalized to European deciduous forests > Japan ese deciduous forests > tropical rainforests. It was pointed out that this order was the opposite of the gradient in evapotranspiration rate existing among these regions.