Hydrozetes species (Acari, Oribatida) at bog ponds and pools in the Tatra National Park and Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin (Kotlina Orawsko-Nowotarska) in southern Poland

Abstract

Abstract:The Hydrozetes fauna was investigated at the edges of 4 ponds and pools with acid water in southern Poland. Mites of this genus achieved the highest mean abundance (6×10 4 ind./m²) at a pond in the Tatra National Park (Staw Toporowy Niżni; pH = 3.9; 1089 m a.s.l.). H. confervae dominated there (98%), accompanied by H. octosetosus and H. lacustris. The same species were also present at a nearby pond (Staw Toporowy Wyżni; pH 3.9; 1120 m a.s.l.), but in significantly lower numbers. In the bogs of the Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin, at the edge of pool in Kaczmarka (pH 3.6; 650 m a.s.l.), H. lacustris and H. octosetosus were present, and the former species dominated (73%). The latter species is interesting, because it was not recorded in Europe until recently. At the other pool, in Łysa Puścizna (pH 4.5; 650 m a.s.l.), only H. lacustris was present. The lower abundance and species richness of Hydrozetes at the bog pools in the Orawa-Nowy-Targ Basin, in comparison to the Tatra National Park, was probably caused by poorer water conditions, due to more advanced succession, peat exploitation and disturbed water conditions in the Basin.

Ecology of Hydrozetes Berlese, 1902 (Acari, Oribatida) at various water bodies near Bydgoszcz (northern Poland)

“…In contrast, H. lacustris was found only in acidic waters. POPP (1962) considered this species extremely euryionic, but other authors announced its preference for strongly acidic water (WALgRAM 1976;WEIgMANN 2006;WEIgMANN & DEIcHSEL 2006;MISTRZAK et al 2011), which is confirmed in this study. Similarly, H. octosetosus and H. longisetosus were found only in the bodies of water with low pH, but H. longisetosus was absent in the peat pond Ba, possibly due to the higher concentration of sulphur and worse oxygen conditions, in comparison to other water bodies.…”