EFFECTS OF SHEEP TREADING ON PLANT COVERING AND SOIL ORIBATIDA (ACARI) IN A WOODED HAY MEADOW IN SOGN (NORWAY)

Effects of sheep treading on plant covering and soil oribatid mites in a traditionally maintained wooded hay meadow in Sogn (Norway) were investigated. Samples were taken under the elm trees in 2 zones, situated 1m from the elm trunks, heavily treaded by sheep, and 5m from these trunks. The sheep treading decreased the plant covering, especially mosses, and the density of Oribatida, but increased the participation of their juvenile stages. The Oribatida occupied mainly the upper soil layer and the density distinctly decreased with the soil depth, but the sheep treading appeased the differences of density of mites in soil layers, comparing to the zone situated 5m from the elm trunks

Morphological ontogeny of Galumna flagellata Willmann (Acari: Oribatida: Galumnidae)

The morphological ontogeny of Galumna flagellata Willmann, 1925 is described and illustrated. The juveniles of this species are light brown, with prodorsal setae of medium size or long and barbed, and bothridial seta clavate. The larva has 12 pairs of gastronotal setae, most of the medium size and barbed, of which seven (d-, l-series, h1) are located on gastronotal shield, nymphs have 15 pairs, mostly short setae, of which 10 (d-, l-, h-series, p1) are located on the gastronotal shield, setae of c-series are inserted on individual sclerites. In all juveniles, the typical galumnid humeral organ is absent, but a porose area is present in this location, which is unique in Galumna.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness CGL-2013-46665-REuropean Commissio

WPŁYW WYDEPTYWANIA GLEBY PRZEZ OWCE NA POKRYCIE ROŚLINNOŚCI I GLEBOWE MECHOWCE (ACARI, ORIBATIDA) ZADRZEWIONEJ ŁĄKI W SOGN (NORWEGIA)

Effects of sheep treading on plant covering and soil oribatid mites in a traditionally maintained wooded hay meadow in Sogn (Norway) were investigated. Samples were taken under the elm trees in 2 zones, situated 1m from the elm trunks, heavily treaded by sheep, and 5m from these trunks. The sheep treading decreased the plant covering, especially mosses, and the density of Oribatida, but increased the participation of their juvenile stages. The Oribatida occupied mainly the upper soil layer and the density distinctly decreased with the soil depth, but the sheep treading appeased the differences of density of mites in soil layers, comparing to the zone situated 5m from the elm trunks.Zbadano wpływ wydeptywania gleby przez owce na roślinność i glebowe mechowce na tradycyjnie utrzymywanej, zadrzewionej łące w Sogn w Norwegii. Próby pobrano z łąki pod wiązami w 2 strefach, oddalonej 1m od pni drzew, silnie wydeptanej przez owce oraz 5m od pni drzew, jako strefie kontrolnej. Wydeptywanie łąki przez owce zmniejszyło pokrycie roślinności, zwłaszcza mchów, a także liczebność mechowców, ale zwiększyło udział ich stadiów młodocianych. W obu strefach liczba gatunków mechowców była zbliżona. Mechowce skupiały się głównie w górnej warstwie gleby, a ich zagęszczenie zmniejszało się wraz z głębokością. Wydeptywanie łąki przez owce złagodziło różnice w zagęszczeniu roztoczy w profilu glebowym w porównaniu do strefy odległej 5m od pni drzew

THE EFFECT OF CATTLE LIQUID MANURE FERTILIZATION ON THE SOIL MITES (ACARI) OF PERMANENT MEADOW IN POLAND

The effect of different doses of cattle liquid manure, with or without the VIT-TRA agent, on the mites of permanent meadow, with species analysis of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) was investigated. Samples were taken from 13 plots, fertilized with cattle liquid manure in doses 40, 60 and 80 m3· ha-1 and VIT-TRA agent. The dose 40 m3· ha-1 increased the abundance of mites, comparing to the control plot, while doses 60 and 80 m3· ha-1 decreased it. The fungicidal agent, with medium and high dose of fertilizer, signifi cantly decreased the density of Oribatida, Gamasida and Actinedida in relation to small dose of fertilizer with this agent. The mites reacted in a similar way to the bactericidal agent, but acting of virocidal agent was indistinct. The Oribatida dominated among the mites, while the Actinedida and Gamasida were less abundant. Among the Oribatida the most abundant were: Parachipteria bella, Liebstadia humerata, Achipteria coleoptrata and Scheloribates laevigatus. The Oribatida preferred the lower part of grasses, and their density distinctly decreased with the soil depth

WPŁYW NAWOŻENIA GNOJOWICĄ BYDLĘCĄ NA ROZTOCZE GLEBOWE (ACARI) ŁĄKI TRWAŁEJ W POLSCE

The effect of different doses of cattle liquid manure, with or without the VIT-TRA agent, on the mites of permanent meadow, with species analysis of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) was investigated. Samples were taken from 13 plots, fertilized with cattle liquid manure in doses 40, 60 and 80 m3· ha-1 and VIT-TRA agent. The dose 40 m3· ha-1 increased the abundance of mites, comparing to the control plot, while doses 60 and 80 m3· ha-1 decreased it. The fungicidal agent, with medium and high dose of fertilizer, signifi cantly decreased the density of Oribatida, Gamasida and Actinedida in relation to small dose of fertilizer with this agent. The mites reacted in a similar way to the bactericidal agent, but acting of virocidal agent was indistinct. The Oribatida dominated among the mites, while the Actinedida and Gamasida were less abundant. Among the Oribatida the most abundant were: Parachipteria bella, Liebstadia humerata, Achipteria coleoptrata and Scheloribates laevigatus. The Oribatida preferred the lower part of grasses, and their density distinctly decreased with the soil depth.Zbadano wpływ nawożenia gnojowicą bydlęcą, z oraz bez dodatku środka VIT-TRA, na roztocze glebowe łąki trwałej, z gatunkową analizą mechowców (Acari, Oribatida). Próby do badań pobrano z 13 poletek doświadczalnych, nawożonych gnojowicą bydlęcą w dawkach 40, 60 i 80 m3· ha-1 oraz z dodatkiem preparatu dezynfekującego. Dawka 40 m3· ha-1 zwiększyła liczebność roztoczy, w tym dominujących mechowców w porównaniu z powierzchnią kontrolną, natomiast dawki 60 i 80 m3· ha-1 wpłynęły na nie ograniczająco. Dodatek środka grzybobójczego, przy średniej i wysokiej dawce nawozu, spowodował zmniejszenie liczebności Oribatida, Gamasida i Actinedida względem niskiej dawki nawozu z tym środkiem, co potwierdzono statystycznie. Podobną reakcję wywołał dodatek środka bakteriobójczego, natomiast preparat wirusobójczy działał niewyraźne. Wśród roztoczy dominowały Oribatida, natomiast Actinedida i Gamasida były mniej liczne. Wśród mechowców najliczniejsze były: Parachipteria bella, Liebstadia humerata, Achipteria coleoptrata i Scheloribates laevigatus. Mechowce preferowały dolny poziom traw, a ich zagęszczenie zmniejszało się wraz z głębokością

Inclusion of juvenile stages improves diversity assessment and adds to our understanding of mite ecology – A case study from mires in Norway

Arachnid orders, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, and Sarcoptiformes, commonly known as ‘mites’, are abundant in mires, both as adults and as juveniles. However, due to the challenges of identification, the juvenile forms are often excluded from analyses. This is the first study in mires that included all three mite orders identified to the species level, including juvenile instars. We aimed to compare how diversity and the response to ecological variables differed if only the adults (ad) vs. the total number of specimens (ad+juv) are considered. Samples of 20 Sphagnum species (five subgenera) were collected and mites were extracted using Berlese funnels. Overall, nearly 60,000 mites were analyzed; of these Mesostigmata made up 1.87% of the total, Trombidiformes −0.27%, and Sarcoptiformes −97.86%. The study revealed 154 species (33 Mesostigmata, 24 Trombidiformes, and 97 Sarcoptiformes), the highest diversity of mites ever reported from mires. The inclusion of juveniles increased observed species richness by 6%, with 10 species (one Mesostigmata, six Trombidiformes, and three Sarcoptiformes) represented only by juvenile forms. Seventeen species are new to Norway (four Mesostigmata, one Sarcoptiformes, and 12 Trombidiformes, including five undescribed species of Stigmaeidae and Cunaxidae). Four of these were represented in the samples only by juveniles. Including the juveniles explained a greater amount of the variability of Trombidiformes (explanatory variables account for 23.60% for ad, and 73.74% for ad+juv) and Mesostigmata (29.23% − ad, 52.91% − ad+juv), but had less of an impact for Sarcoptiformes (38.48% − ad, 39.26% − ad+juv). Locality, Sphagnum subgenus and species, wetness, and trophic state significantly affected the mite communities and should be taken into consideration when studying mires. Since juvenile stages contribute significantly to mite diversity in mires, they should also be included in mite studies in other habitats.publishedVersio

Diversity and Distribution of Mites (Acari: Ixodida, Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes, Sarcoptiformes) in the Svalbard Archipelago

Svalbard is a singular region to study biodiversity. Located at a high latitude and geographically isolated, the archipelago possesses widely varying environmental conditions and unique flora and fauna communities. It is also here where particularly rapid environmental changes are occurring, having amongst the fastest increases in mean air temperature in the Arctic. One of the most common and species-rich invertebrate groups in Svalbard is the mites (Acari). We here describe the characteristics of the Svalbard acarofauna, and, as a baseline, an updated inventory of 178 species (one Ixodida, 36 Mesostigmata, 43 Trombidiformes, and 98 Sarcoptiformes) along with their occurrences. In contrast to the Trombidiformes and Sarcoptiformes, which are dominated in Svalbard by species with wide geographical distributions, the Mesostigmata include many Arctic species (39%); it would thus be an interesting future study to determine if mesostigmatid communities are more affected by global warming then other mite groups. A large number of new species (42 spp.) have been described from Svalbard, including 15 that have so far been found exclusively there. It is yet uncertain if any of these latter species are endemic: six are recent findings, the others are old records and, in most cases, impossible to verify. That the Arctic is still insufficiently sampled also limits conclusions concerning endemicity.publishedVersio

Morphological ontogeny of Phauloppia nemoralis (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatulidae) with comments on Phauloppia Berlese

Seniczak, Anna, Seniczak, Stanisław (2022): Morphological ontogeny of Phauloppia nemoralis (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatulidae) with comments on Phauloppia Berlese. Zootaxa 5187 (1): 69-94, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5187.1.

Morphological ontogeny of Pilogalumna tenuiclava (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae) and comments on Pilogalumna Grandjean

Seniczak, Anna, Seniczak, Stanisław (2022): Morphological ontogeny of Pilogalumna tenuiclava (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae) and comments on Pilogalumna Grandjean. Zootaxa 5187 (1): 95-120, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5187.1.