Bioindication in peatlands by means of multi-taxa indicators (Oribatida, Araneae, Carabidae, Vegetation)

<p><strong>Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from two contrasting boreal fens: an update on oribatid mites of Canadian peatlands</strong></p>

“…The work of Belanger (1976) is still the most comprehensive study documenting 44 species in a Sphagnum-dominated fen in New York State, of which 25 species had been previously recorded from European peatlands. In Europe, however, oribatid mites in peatlands have been and continue to be much more intensively studied (Borcard & Matthey 1995;Borcard & Vaucher-von Ballmoos 1997;Ivan et al 1997;Laiho et al 2001;Ivan & Călugăr 2003;Starý 2006;Sidorchuk 2008;Mumladze et al 2013;Markkula 2014;Lehmitz 2014;Melekhina et al 2015;Minor et al 2016Minor et al , 2019Seniczak et al 2016Seniczak et al , 2019Seniczak et al , 2020Lehmitz & Maraun 2016;George et al 2017;Markkula et al 2019;Juan-Ovejero et al 2019;Lehmitz et al 2020). In addition, subfossil oribatid fauna from European peatlands are also thoroughly investigated (Karppinen et al 1979;Cañellas-Boltà et al 2012;Markkula 1986;Markkula 2020;Markkula et al 2018).…”

Mites (Oribatida and Mesostigmata) and Vegetation as Complementary Bioindicators in Peatlands

“…Peatlands are threatened by different human activities, in particular mining for peat, conversion to agricultural use, drainage (e.g., for forestry), improper forest management (e.g., plantation of tree species with high water requirements), pollution from nearby areas, but also by global warming (Dise, 2009). Therefore, it is important to monitor peat condition using multi-taxa bioindicators which reflect different aspects of the peatland's condition (Lehmitz et al, 2020).…”

“…For example, a list of Sphagnum species is good indicators of pH, Ca concentration, shading and water level (Rydin and Jeglum, 2013). However, vegetation is not sensitive enough to detect short-term changes in the water regime of peatlands (Lehmitz et al, 2020). Sphagnum mosses can withstand droughts for some time (Daniels and Eddy, 1990) and show a delayed reaction to changes in water regime.…”

“…The invertebrate fauna of peatlands, including Oribatida and Mesostigmata, is poorly studied compared to vegetation. Oribatida are good predictors of moisture − the key factor affecting their communities in peatlands (Donaldson, 1996;Kuriki, 1998;Seniczak, 2011;Minor et al, 2019;Lehmitz et al, 2020). Less is known about Mesostigmata in peatlands, but for example in Ireland, where there are extensive peatlands, and the Mesostigmata fauna has been comparatively well studied, one quarter of mesostigmatid species known to occur nationally are found in peatlands (Wisdom et al, 2011;Bolger et al, 2018).…”

“…Given that the importance of Oribatida as bioindicators of water conditions in peatlands is already known (Markkula, 1981(Markkula, , 1982Seniczak et al, 2016;Minor et al, 2019;Lehmitz et al, 2020), in this study we concentrated on a water-soaked peatland microhabitat − the shores of ponds. This ecotone (contact zone between floating mat and open water) is particularly valuable from an ecological point of view because it is known to host specific species of algae, crustaceans, rotifers (Hutorowicz, 2004), Oribatida (e.g., Seniczak et al, 2019) and Mesostigmata (e.g., Kaczmarek et al, 2008).…”