Soil collembolan communities on north- and south-facing slopes of an eastern Mediterranean valley

The present paper includes the first comprehensive List of a collembolan community in a site in Israel. Comparison was made between the assemblage of collembolan species on the north- and south-facing slopes of Lower Nahal Oren, Mt. Carmel, Israel. The valley runs from east westward. Its slopes, only 100m apart at the bottom, contrast sharply due to the much higher solar radiation on the south-facing slope. The assemblage of Collembola found includes 50 Arthropleona and 20 Symphypleona species, including 14 species that are new to science. Arthropleona species richness was very similar on the north slope (43) and the south-facing slope (41). In contrast, a rich assemblage of Symphypleona was recorded on the north-facing slope (19 species), but only eight were recorded on the south-facing slope. Differences in species richness were found between and within slopes according to attitude zone, soil depth and vegetation. Collembola of the alluvial zone on the contrasting slopes were more similar to each other than those of the alluvial zone on each slope with its adjacent altitudinal. zone on the same slope. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.