An Ecological Study of Some Millipedes in Two Central Missouri Communities*

Abstract

Samples were taken of leaf litter and soil to a depth of 2 inches; 120 in an oak-hickory community, 80 in a flood-plain community. Each sample measured 0.25 square meter. From the oak-hickory community leafmold samples, 279 specimens of millipedes were collected, an average of 9.3 specimens per square meter. From the soil samples, 423 millipedes were collected, an average of 14.0 per square meter. Fourteen species were found in the material from the oak-hickory community. From the 80 samples of leaf mold taken in the flood plain, 713 specimens were collected, an average of 35.6 specimens per square meter. Soil samples from the flood plain provided 477 specimens, an average of 23.8 millipedes per square meter. Five species were found in the flood-plain community. Species tested in a moisture-gradient apparatus showed a positive reaction to high relative humidity. Several tests in a temperature-gradient apparatus showed that the millipedes tested reacted positively to lower temperatures.