Primary Succession of Soil Mites (Acari) in a Norwegian Glacier Foreland, with Emphasis on Oribatid Species

Hågvar, Sigmund; Solhøy, Torstein; Mong, Christian Einar

doi:10.1657/1938-4246-41.2.219

Cited by 52 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Plot nos. 21-25 (zone D) were outside the 1750 moraine which mark the end of the 'little ice age' in Norway, so these five plots had an age of about 10,000 years [24]. In each of the 25 study plots, microarthropods were extracted from 10 to 16 soil cores, 3 cm deep and with a surface area of 10 cm 2 [24].…”

Section: Microarthropod Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The large, spherical species Bourletiella hortensis was squeezed on the slide to spread the gut content. Figure 5 illustrates the cumulative species number for oribatid mites [24], springtails [25], and beetles and spiders [26], with increasing age of the ground. All groups showed a rapid addition of species during the first 80 years.…”

Section: Gut Content Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In 10,000-year-old soil, the pioneer species Tectocepheus velatus was still present, but Oppiella neerlandica was now the dominant oribatid species [24]. Also, the springtail community showed considerable changes in dominance structure as the soil aged [25].…”

Section: Succession In Dominance Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among oribatid mites, the pioneer species Liochthonius cf. sellnicki was barely present after about 70 years [24]. Among springtails, the cold-loving pioneer species Agrenia bidenticulata gave up after about 50 years.…”

Section: Pelecopsis Mengeimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 2001, extensive zoological studies have been performed here to describe and understand arthropod succession patterns (Figure 1). These studies include soil-living microarthropods [24,25], surface active beetles, spiders and harvestmen [26,27], aerial transport of arthropods [28], studies on ancient carbon released by the glacier [29,30], food choice of pioneers [31], as well as a special focus on early succession [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study

Hågvar¹,

Ohlson²,

Flø³

2017

Glaciers Evolution in a Changing World

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here, we explore 200 years of arthropod succession by using dated moraines in a Norwegian glacier foreland. Surface active beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Aranea) were sampled by pitfall trapping, and springtails (Collembola) and mites (Acari) were extracted from soil samples. Newly deglaciated ground was rapidly colonised by a mixture of generalists and specialists, with various life strategies. Interestingly, the pioneer community was fed by three 'invisible' food sources: biofilm with terrestrial diatom algae, tiny pioneer mosses and chironomid midges whose larvae were pond-living and used ancient carbon that was released by the melting glacier as an energy source. The true 'super-pioneers' were biofilm-eating springtails, which tracked the melting ice edge closely. Most species of beetles and springtails colonised within 80 years, while spiders and oribatid mites needed a longer time span to colonise. Topography influenced the succession pattern. Among both surface-living macroarthropods and soil-living microarthropods, we distinguished between a 'dry' and a 'wet' successional pathway with different community structure. Most arthropod species persisted after colonisation, but certain species preferring open space or low temperature were gradually excluded. Comparisons are made with botanical succession. Sampling methods, material size, and taxonomic resolution were considered critical factors when studying arthropod succession.

show abstract

Section: Microarthropod Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gut Content Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Succession In Dominance Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pelecopsis Mengeimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study

Hågvar¹,

Ohlson²,

Flø³

2017

Glaciers Evolution in a Changing World

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Quantitative assessment of the dispersal of soil‐dwelling oribatid mites via rodents in restored heathlands

Salazar-Fillippo

Teunkens

Leirs

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Heathland restoration using topsoil removal requires the re‐colonization of above‐ and belowground communities. Oribatid mites play a key role in the comminution of organic matter and are frequently early colonizers during succession despite their limited mobility. Whereas the assembly of their communities may take decades, passive dispersal likely dominates colonization processes, but especially dispersal via other animals (phoresy) remains poorly studied. Compared to other potential hosts, movement habits and ecology of small rodents may provide dispersal advantages to oribatid communities. We studied dispersal of oribatid mites via small rodents in restored heathland sites of different age. We measured movement patterns of small rodents and extracted mites from their pelts and nests to estimate annual contributions of these rodents to the dispersal of oribatids. We also discussed phoretic estimates reported on other host groups as a reference. Probability estimates of oribatids in pelts and nests showed lower occurrence frequencies compared to other reported phoretic hosts. However, local rodent communities may aid the dispersal of up to 41,000 oribatid mites per year. We highlight the high diversity of oribatid species mounting rodents, unlike strong species‐specific filters reported in other passive pathways. We found that over half (58%) of the oribatid species reproduced asexually and over a third (32%) had a soil‐dwelling lifestyle. We also observed that rodents often travel short distances below 40 m, but occasionally reach distances of up to 100 m, especially in earlier successional stages. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that rodents may contribute to assembly processes of soil‐dwelling oribatid communities given the slow turnover rate of this group in heathlands. This is accomplished through short‐distance dispersal, and especially in sites at early stages of succession. To our knowledge, we are the first to quantitatively assess the potential dispersal of oribatid mites via rodents.

show abstract

Primary assembly of soil communities: disentangling the effect of dispersal and local environment

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It has long been recognised that dispersal abilities and environmental factors are important in shaping invertebrate communities, but their relative importance for primary soil community assembly has not yet been disentangled. By studying soil communities along chronosequences on four recently emerged nunataks (ice-free land in glacial areas) in Iceland, we replicated environmental conditions spatially at various geographical distances. This allowed us to determine the underlying factors of primary community assembly with the help of metacommunity theories that predict different levels of dispersal constraints and effects of the local environment. Comparing community assembly of the nunataks with that of non-isolated deglaciated areas indicated that isolation of a few kilometres did not affect the colonisation of the soil invertebrates. When accounting for effects of geographical distances, soil age and plant richness explained a significant part of the variance observed in the distribution of the oribatid mites and collembola communities, respectively. Furthermore, null model analyses revealed less co-occurrence than expected by chance and also convergence in the body size ratio of co-occurring oribatids, which is consistent with species sorting. Geographical distances influenced species composition, indicating that the community is also assembled by dispersal, e.g. mass effect. When all the results are linked together, they demonstrate that local environmental factors are important in structuring the soil community assembly, but are accompanied with effects of dispersal that may "override" the visible effect of the local environment.

show abstract

Primary Succession of Soil Mites (Acari) in a Norwegian Glacier Foreland, with Emphasis on Oribatid Species

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 52 publications

References 22 publications

Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study

Animal Successional Pathways for about 200 Years Near a Melting Glacier: A Norwegian Case Study

Quantitative assessment of the dispersal of soil‐dwelling oribatid mites via rodents in restored heathlands

Primary assembly of soil communities: disentangling the effect of dispersal and local environment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About