Are there real endogeic species in temperate forest mites?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.pedobi.2003.10.002
• Publication Date: 2004-02-29T10:12:04Z
• Authors: Xavier Ducarme; Henri M André; Georges Wauthy; Philippe Lebrun
• Keywords: Litter; Forest floor; Temperate rainforest; Temperate forest; Temperate deciduous forest; Coarse Woody Debris

The determinants of mite diversity in soil and the reasons why so many species coexist are poorly understood. There is evidence that niche differentiation (i.e. microhabitat complexity) in the titter layers of forest floors is important, however, little is known for deeper horizons since mite density and diversity in deeper soil layers have been rarely studied. In order to address this dearth of information, we collected microarthropods from both the forest floor and the mineral soil to a depth of 1 m in two deciduous forest locations. The density exceeded 8 x 105 microarthropods M-2 in one location, and a number of individuals were collected from deep in the soil. No species was exclusively living in mineral horizons. Measurements of porosity spectrum, pH, water content, total C and total N were made at each depth and related to mite diversity and species richness. Meso- and microporosity were strongly correlated with species distribution while macroporosity and pH were correlated to density and species richness. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.