Effect of progressive drying of pedunculate oak (Quercus roburL.) and holm oak (Quercus rotundifoliaLam.) forest soils on the composition of the oribatid mite community (Acari: Oribatida) in laboratory conditions

Abstract

2016): Effect of progressive drying of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia Lam.) forest soils on the composition of the oribatid mite community (Acari:Effect of progressive drying of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) and holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia Lam.) forest soils on the composition of the oribatid mite community (Acari: Oribatida) in laboratory conditions ABSTRACT Soil moisture is an important factor in soil systems. To examine the effects of a progressive loss of moisture (gradual drought) on the soil oribatid community of two ecosystems (pedunculate oak and holm oak forests), a laboratory experiment was carried out to (1) record changes in abundance, diversity and species composition and (2) determine drought-resistant and drought-sensitive species. In both ecosystems, the maximum values for species abundance were at the beginning of the experiment; by the end of the experiment, only a few species remained. The species that disappeared first were Damaeus onustus, Microppia minus, Suctobelba regia, Suctobelba trigona, Liochthonius brevis, Quadroppia pseudocircumita, Rhinoppia obsoleta and Suctobelbella subcornigera. Those that survived until the end of the experiment were Hermanniella dolosa, Odontocepheus elongatus and Tectocepheus velatus. The progressive rate of water loss (drought) was similar in both experiments. Species richness decreased in drier conditions. The communities remained intact until Day 30, even though the sample water content decreased by 83% in the pedunculate oak and 90.1% in holm oak soils during the first 15 days. The species diversity and community balance were altered after 30 days as a result of a reduction in numbers of both individuals and species, and the reductions were severe after 45 days. ARTICLE HISTORY

Oribatid mite (Acari, Oribatida) richness and diversity in Oak forests of West Azerbaijan Province (Northwestern Iran)

“…The composition of oribatid mite assemblage in soil reflects the stress situation in the soil ecosystem and is useful as a bio-indicator for evaluating soil quality (Ivan 2009). Researchers have already stated that the density of oribatid mites is usually related to climatic factors (Gergócs et al 2011), the type of forest stands (Murvanidze and Mumladze 2014), vegetation structure (Manu 2013), soil moisture (Corral-Hernández et al 2016), type of microhabitats (Gergócs et al 2011) and anthropogenic factors (Ivan 2009). Moreover, Reiff et al (2016) stated that vegetation could influence the distribution and density of edaphic oribatid mites.…”