Impact of a reduced winter snowpack on litter arthropod abundance and diversity in a northern hardwood forest ecosystem

Projected changes in climate for the northeastern USA over the next 100 years include a reduction in the depth and duration of the winter snowpack, which could affect soil temperatures and frost regimes. We conducted a snow-removal experiment in a northern hardwood forest at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in central New Hampshire over 2 years to induce soil freezing and evaluate its effect on the abundance, richness, and diversity of soil arthropods during the growing season. Snow removal at the beginning of winter increased the depth and duration of soil frost, decreased soil temperatures, and led to a reduced abundance of some arthropod taxa, including Araneae (reduced by 57%; P = 0.0001), Pseudoscorpionida (75%; P