EFFECTS OF FIRE ON SOIL MACROINVERTEBRATES IN A MEDITERRANEAN PHRYGANIC ECOSYSTEM

The effect of a summer wildfire on the abundance and community composi tion of soil macroinvertebrates of a phryganic ecosystem was studied. The numerical responses of macroinvertebrates to fire were variable, m ost notably the reduction of the saprophagous fauna. The magnitude of the changes in abundance due to fire was comparable or even lower than the variations imposed by the seasonality of the mediterranean climat e. fire did not seem to affect strongly the community composition of t he soil inhabiting fauna, but caused considerable changes in the compo sition of the litter-dwellers. Furthermore, seasonal changes in commun ity composition were less pronounced in the burnt site compared to tho se in the control. The observed effects of fire should be attributed t o the destruction of the litter layer and the above ground vegetation cover, rather than to the immediate death of the animals, since most o f them were absent from the upper soil layers during summer, that is w hen fire occured.