Soil Collembola communities along a steep microclimatic gradient in the collapse doline of the Silická ľadnica Cave, Slovak Karst (Slovakia)

Abstract

In spring 2005 we investigated the collembolan communities in the 50-m-deep collapse doline of the perennial ice cave Silická ľadnica in the Slovak Karst (Slovakia). Samples were taken at seven sites along a 117.5-m-long transect on the slope from the ice-bearing cave mouth at the bottom of the doline up to the terrain surface at 500 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The temperature above the soil surface (+0.6 to +13.6• C) positively correlated with altitude. Species numbers (ranging from 20-32) and diversity indices were highest at sites in the middle of the slope with rendzina and well developed organic profiles. A Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA revealed significant differences in abundance between the sites. Mean abundance near the permafrost zone at the bottom of the doline was significantly higher than at the sites further upslope. The abundances of some eurytopic and forest species were significantly correlated with soil temperature. Cluster analysis and the IndVal method indicated differences in the structure of Collembolan communities along the transect. The community at the coldest site had the lowest species richness and the highest mean abundance of individuals. A total of ten montane species were recorded, with a lower number near the permafrost zone compared to the micro-climatically more favourable middle section of the gradient.

Community composition and cold tolerance of soil Collembola in a collapse karst doline with strong microclimate inversion

“…Both species were previously observed by Čarnogurský (1994) as dominant in the cold parts of the scree slope of the Silická ľadnica Ice Cave in spring. The abundance of F. manolachei was negatively correlated with the temperature and showed the clear preference of the species for the coldest site of the gradient as in our previous study (Raschmanová et al 2013). This is in contrast to data in the literature on the ecological requirements, which characterize the species as being associated with dryer and warmer forest soils and being absent in the Arctic zone compared with the related species Folsomia quadrioculata (Potapov 2001;Raschmanová et al 2008).…”

“…Further details on the microclimatic gradient of the Silická ľadnica Ice Cave are provided by Petrásek et al (2010) and Raschmanová et al (2013). All analyses based on the soil samples (soil moisture content, soil-chemical parameters, Collembola community parameters) were limited to a certain number to prevent destruction of the unique microhabitats of the doline.…”

“…However, the biological communities of these habitats with an inversed microclimate have been studied only to a lesser extent. Several contributions on the effect of an inversed meso-/microclimate on abundance and diversity of vegetation and soil fauna of such karst formations in the Slovak and Aggtelek Karst (Slovakia, Hungary) have been published by Kalúz (1993a), Raschmanová et al (2008Raschmanová et al ( , 2013, Bátori et al (2009Bátori et al ( , 2014 and Vilisics et al (2011). Recently, the effect of temperature inversion on soil fauna was documented by Schlaghamerský et al (2014) along transects in ravines of the Bohemian Switzerland region (Czech Republic), which is a part of the Elbe Sandstone Massif.…”

“…The local meso-/microclimatic gradient in the karst landscape, derived from the specific karst geomorphology, plays a key role for the community structure of soil Collembola (Raschmanová et al 2008(Raschmanová et al , 2013. Based on our previous studies, we hypothesized that the community parameters of Collembola would not differ markedly at sites in two different seasons of the year 2005 (spring, autumn).…”

“…These cold habitats of scree slopes at lower altitudes (approx. 300-500 m) in the karst landscape are a good example of island habitats in the temperate zone of Central Europe, serving as refugia for glacial relicts (Kalúz 1993b), psychrophilic and montane endemic species (Gulička 1985;Raschmanová et al 2013). Such habitats are also suitable for studying the cold-resistance of species adapted to cold environments sparsely dispersed in the karst landscape.…”