Collembolans and Mites Communities as a Tool for Assessing Soil Quality: Effect of Eucalyptus Plantations on Soil Mesofauna Biodiversity

Abstract

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We thank the Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi for financial support and the Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali University for providing the necessary facilities to carry out this work.

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

“…with different leaf litter quality did not affect species richness or community structure of oribatid mites. However, contrasting results were obtained in other studies regarding mite-vegetation relationships based on the type of vegetation Rieff et al (2016). found a superior number of mites in soil samples from the area under eucalyptus compared to the native grassland area.…”

Diversity of springtails (Collembola) in agricultural and forest systems in Southern Santa Catarina

“…In this sense, because they present different life strategies in the vertical stratification of the soil and because of their sensitivity to environmental changes, the springtails are being used as bioindicators of soil quality (Baretta et al 2014, Rieff et al 2016, since they are sensitive to changes in soil and in vegetal cover, caused by anthropic activities or by natural causes . In addition, they show sensitivity to temperature changes (Rieff et al 2014), precipitation and humidity and pesticide application (Lima & Silva et al 2017).…”

Communities of predatory mites (Phytoseiidae and Stigmaeidae) in different environments of the Brazilian Pampa

“…However, grasslands have been recently replaced by grain crops and Eucalyptus saligna Smith (Myrtaceae) plantations (Pillar et al 2009). These modifications in land use can have deleterious effects on the diversity and distribution of organisms in this environment, such as abundance and diversity of collembolans and edaphic mites (Rieff et al 2016).…”

“…Since it is not possible to totally analyze the environment with high biological diversity such as the Pampa, the use of ecological indicators is an alternative way for the diagnosis of environmental quality (Coote et al 2013). Studies indicate that soil mites might be environmental indicators of both native areas and areas of exotic monocultures (Rieff et al 2016). These ecological indicators are used in decision making processes regarding management and public policies for environmental recovery and conservation (Niemi and McDonald 2004).…”