ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Importance of Microhabitats for Preservation
of Species Diversity, on the Basis of Mesostigmatid
Mites (Mesostigmata, Arachnida, Acari)
Grażyna Madej, Gabriela Barczyk, Iwona Gawenda
Department of Ecology, University of Silesia, Bankowa 9, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2011;20(4):961-968
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Mesostigmatid mites were studied in 50 microhabitats in a moderately humid pine-oak forest, markedly
transformed by human activity, in the Rybnik Forest District (southern Poland). This study was aimed to
show differences in species composition and abundance of mite communities in the studied microhabitats. In
total, 1,936 mesostigmatid mites were collected of 65 species and 15 families. The most abundant and frequent
species were Paragamasus vagabundus and Gamasellodes bicolor. The largest number of species (16-18) and
the highest abundance of the mites (750-1,270 individuals/m2) were found in dead wood (M15), leaf litter
(M34), bark (M40), and an anthill (M62). In 30 microhabitats, only exclusive species were found, which significantly
increased the mite species diversity in the forest floor.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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