FIRE AS MECHANICAL METHOD AFFECTING THE ABUNDANCE OF SOIL MITES AND SPIDERS

The effects of fire on general abundance and distribution of soil mites andspiders at two study regions (El-Qaluobia and El-Menofia) Governorates of Egyptwere recorded after wheat harvesting time during the season 2011/2012. A total of 18mite species were collected and identified during the study period before and afterfire. The collected mites were belonging to four suborders namely Astigmata (onefamily and one species), Prostigmata (six families and ten species), Mesostigmata (four families and six species) and Cryptostigmata (one species in one family). Thecollected spiders in this study were six species in five families, one of them identifiedin family level only (Philodromidae). Also, only one collected spider was identified asspecies level Hogna ferox (Lucas) (Family: Lycoseidae), and the rest of the collectedfamilies identified to genera level only. In general, mites and spiders were moreabundant during two weeks before burning and reached to the lowest level during oneday before and after burning. The ground layers after buring have significantlyaffected soil mites and spiders populations. Mites belonging to suborders Prostigmataand Mesostigmata were affected significantly by fire but Astigmata andCryptostigmata were less affected. The abundance of spiders was significantlydecreased after burning in the spider families Gnaphosidae and Lycosidae, butOecobiidae was not affected after burning at the two regions.