James Murphy | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: James Murphy
Title: Tiny Creatures of Great Importance: A Survey of Millipede Abundance and Occurrance in Second-Growth Forests in Ohio
Major: Biology
Minor: Art History
Advisors: Richard Lehtinen; Laura Sirot

Millipedes (Diplopoda) are a numerous and diverse class, acting as key detritivores that impact their environments greatly. Despite their many functions in soil ecosystems, millipedes are often underrepresented in scientific studies, and their forest and microhabitat preferences are largely unknown. Millipedes were sampled using both natural and artificial cover objects at Fern Valley Field Station in Holmes County, Ohio, within a mature second-growth forest and a regenerating second-growth forest. Sampled specimens were collected, identified, and catalogued by date, location, and taxonomy in order to create a list of the taxa found on-site. The species richness and abundance of millipede taxa were not found to be statistically significant between the mature and regenerating forest sections, but significantly more individuals were collected using artificial cover boards than natural cover objects such as logs and sticks. It appears that the implementation of cover boards could be a useful collection method for slow-moving arthropods such as millipedes, as seen by a higher collection rate than hand collection from natural cover. Millipedes overall did not display a preference for mature or regenerating second-growth forests, although some species were more common in one or the other. Based on the number of new species found on each day of sampling, it is likely that more millipede species are yet to have been found on-site.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.