Increased Springtail Abundance in a Garlic Mustard-Invaded Forest

Alliaria petiolata (Garlic Mustard) decreases diversity of native plants and introduces novel litter inputs to forests, but whether Garlic Mustard's presence influences detritivores is unclear. Our goal was to determine if Garlic Mustard alters springtail (detritivore) densities during early invasion. We obtained epigeal (litter, humus, and soil) cores from invaded and uninvaded areas in a Pinus strobus (White Pine) forest and used high-gradient dynamic sampling to extract springtails. Invaded areas contained nearly three times more springtails than uninvaded areas, attributable to two springtail morphospecies from Collembola families Tomoceridae and Entomobryidae. Higher pH in invaded epigeal samples correlated with increased springtail abundance. pH alkalization also correlated with increased proportion of juvenile rosettes in mixed stands. Our results suggest a possible role for pH modulation of springtail abundance in response to Garlic Mustard invasion.