Soil mite communities (Acari: Mesostigmata) as indicators of urban ecosystems in Bucharest, Romania

Manu, Minodora; Băncilă, Raluca Ioana; Bîrsan, Constantin-Ciprian; Mountford, Owen; Onete, Marilena

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-83417-4

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…It is characterised by a high reproduction rate, short development time and tolerance to chemical contamination of soil [ 84 ]. G. nolli and G. praesternalis were species tolerating dry eco-systems, with soil poor in organic matter (e.g., polluted or natural grasslands, urban green areas, coastal habitats) [ 28 , 72 , 76 , 80 , 85 , 86 ]. The D. foveolatus occurs over a wide ecological range, being identified from industrial soil from Arctic areas as well as arable land and forest eco-systems in the temperate zone [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 81 , 87 , 88 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Soil Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) Communities and Their Relationships with Some Environmental Variables in Experimental Grasslands from Bucegi Mountains in Romania

Manu

Băncilă

Mountford

et al. 2022

Insects

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The main objective of the study was to analyse, for the first time in Romania, the relationships between five experimental grasslands and Mesostigmata fauna, considering: (1) the structural differences between mite communities; (2) the variations in some important abiotic factors (vegetation cover, soil temperature, soil moisture content, pH, soil resistance at penetration); and (3) the influence of these abiotic factors on the structures of Mesostigmata mite communities and the dispersal rates of these communities between the investigated plots. In total, 250 soil samples were analysed in July 2017, revealing the presence of 30 species, with 1163 individuals. Using the multivariate analysis, we observed that each experimental plot was defined by characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., vegetation cover, soil moisture content, and soil temperature differed significantly between the experimental grasslands. Each experimental plot was characterised by a specific indicator species and population parameters (numerical abundance and species richness). The effects of these soil variables were even demonstrated at species level: Veigaia planicola, Geolaelaps nolli, and Gamasellodes insignis were influenced by vegetation cover, Lysigamasus conus and Dendrolaelaps foveolatus by soil temperature. The dispersal rates of mite communities from one plot to another were higher in the grasslands, where there were euconstant–constant species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In terms of soil temperature, other researchers have found it from industrially disturbed soils in the High Arctic, to the young forests after surface wildfire. Thus, its tolerance to the soil temperatures is quite high [ 15 , 48 , 86 , 100 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) Communities and Their Relationships with Some Environmental Variables in Experimental Grasslands from Bucegi Mountains in Romania

Manu

Băncilă

Mountford

et al. 2022

Insects

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“…This pattern was reflected in our results: in P1 and P3, as soil pH became less alkaline in advanced decay, the abundance of Mesostigmata mites decreased, whereas in P2 the alkalinity of the soil pH increased and an increase in Mesostigmata mites was recorded. The increment in Mesostigmata numbers in advanced decay of P2 was mainly a dominance of Parasitidae mites; many Mesostigmata families such as Parasitidae can thrive in moderately alkaline conditions (Manu et al 2021). In P1 and P2, where the pH declined slightly, the abundance of Parasitidae from active to advanced remained the same.…”

Section: Abundance and Successional Patterns Of Mite Groups During Stages Of Decompositionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Assemblages of Acari in shallow burials: mites as markers of the burial environment, of the stage of decay and of body-cadaver regions

Pickles

Perotti

2021

Exp Appl Acarol

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The burial of a cadaver results in reduced arthropod activity and disruptions in colonisation patterns. Here, the distribution and diversity of mite taxa was studied across decomposition stages of shallowly buried pig carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus). In total 300 mites (88 species) were collected from three pig shallow graves compared to 129 mites (46 species) from control (bare) soil samples at the same depth. A successional pattern of Acari higher taxa and families was observed, and species richness and biodiversity fluctuated throughout decomposition, whereas active decay showed the greatest biodiversity. Mesostigmata mites were the most abundant in ‘cadaver soils’ with a significant difference in the abundance of Parasitidae mites, whereas Oribatida mites (true soil mites) were the most abundant in control soils. Certain mite species were significantly associated with decay stages: Cornigamasus lunaris with ‘bloated’, Gamasodes spiniger with ‘active’, Eugamasus sp. and Lorryia reticulata with ‘advanced’, and Macrocheles matrius and Ramusella clavipectinata in ‘dry’. Scheloribates laevigatus was a marker of bare soil at a shallow depth and Vulgoramasus remberti of buried decomposition, not specific to any decay stage. Analysis of mite assemblages associated with head, torso and posterior body showed that Parasitus evertsi and M. matrius are attracted to beneath the thighs, whereas L. reticulata to beneath the head. This study highlights the value of mites as indicator species of decomposition and its stages, confirming (1) a succession of Acari on buried remains and (2) species specificity to body regions.

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“…Edaphic conditions, such as soil moisture content and pH, were important environmental factors driving arthropods communities (Qiao et al 2022). Previous research showed that the abundance of arthropods is generally higher in humid and alkaline soils, as soil moisture reduces desiccation risk of arthropods and most soil arthropods have a high tolerance for alkaline soils (Stenchly et al 2017;Manu et al 2021). In the current study, due to the greenspace management practices, the soils in green median strip and urban park received more irrigation water than urban forest resulting in a humid soil environment for arthropods.…”

Section: Density and Biomass Of Litter-dwelling Arthropods In Fragmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanization and urban habitat fragmentation do not compromise soil food web complexity and conservation value

Wang

Zhang

Qiao

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Urbanization-induced environmental changes such as habitat fragmentation impacts arthropod assemblages and food web-related ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling, carbon storage and energy fluxes. Yet, we lack insight into how arthropod food webs are structured along urban fragmentation gradients. Here, we investigated the community composition and food web structure of litter-dwelling arthropods along fragmentation gradients (green median strip, urban park, urban forest and natural forest). We found the density of litter-dwelling arthropods in median strip and urban park to be two to four times higher than in urban and natural forests, with, as indicated by literature-based stable isotope values, 67% - 68% of the individuals comprising primary consumers (trophic level I) in median strip and urban park. Urban forests, reserved for biodiversity conservation, hosted the least arthropod density, taxa richness, biomass and body mass, but were colonized by a high number of specialist arthropods, e.g. Archaeognatha and Isoptera. Food webs were most simple in urban forest, but more complex in median strip and urban parks, i.e. open fragments, with abundant primary and secondary consumers including decomposers. Chilopoda and Araneae formed the apex predators in fragments and mostly consumed other predators of trophic level III. The biomass of decomposed litter on the soil surface as major resource of the soil animal community significantly correlated positively with the density of arthropods of trophic levels I, III and IV. Supporting the dominance of bottom-up forces, the density of adjacent trophic levels consistently correlated positively. Overall, our results suggest that small size urban fragments maintain a diverse community of arthropods forming complex food webs and thereby may contribute to conserving biodiversity and providing important ecosystem functions.

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Soil mite communities (Acari: Mesostigmata) as indicators of urban ecosystems in Bucharest, Romania

Cited by 13 publications

References 50 publications

Soil Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) Communities and Their Relationships with Some Environmental Variables in Experimental Grasslands from Bucegi Mountains in Romania

Soil Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) Communities and Their Relationships with Some Environmental Variables in Experimental Grasslands from Bucegi Mountains in Romania

Assemblages of Acari in shallow burials: mites as markers of the burial environment, of the stage of decay and of body-cadaver regions

Urbanization and urban habitat fragmentation do not compromise soil food web complexity and conservation value

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