Anna Wierzbicka, Piotr Robakowski, Radosław Jagiełło, Marlena Baranowska, Bartosz Bułaj, Robert Korzeniewicz,
Adrian Łukowski, Marcin Zadworny, Wojciech Kowalkowski
Oribatid mite communities and species diversity in selected forest stands in Wigry National Park (NE Poland)
Dendrobiology 2026, vol. 96: 25-33
https://doi.org/10.12657/denbio.096.003
Abstract:
Oribatid mites are abundant species-rich soil arthropods that can play an important role in longterm ecological monitoring. However, despite their significant contribution to decomposition processes and soil functioning, their diversity and their relationship with forest stand characteristics remain insufficiently studied. Previous work recorded 127 species from the Wigry National Park, but detailed analyses linking mite assemblages with forest structure were lacking. This study aimed to characterise oribatid mite assemblages in selected permanent forest monitoring plots in Wigry National Park, with particular emphasis on abundance, species richness, diversity, dominance structure, and the potential relationship between tree diversity and mite diversity. Soil samples were collected in 2024–2025 from 46 randomly selected permanent monitoring plots. Three samples were taken from each plot, giving 138 samples in total. Soil fauna were extracted using Berlese–Tullgren funnels, preserved in alcohol, and identified to the species level. Community structure was assessed using species richness, Shannon diversity, Simpson dominance, Pielou’s evenness, Berger–Parker dominance, and Hill numbers. Relationships between mite diversity and forest characteristics were evaluated using non-parametric tests and Spearman rank correlations. A total of 10,689 oribatid mite individuals were recorded, including 8,122 adults and 2,567 juveniles, representing 116 species. Forty-six species were recorded from Wigry National Park for the first time. Oppiella nova was the only euconstant species and accounted for 12.63% of the community. Stand species composition, forest habitat type, stand age class, regeneration-layer composition, coarse woody debris, understory cover, and tree diversity indices did not significantly affect mite species richness or diversity. However, Pielou’s evenness was positively correlated with the age of the dominant tree species and total canopy cover. Oribatid mite assemblages in the studied forest stands were species-rich and showed limited dependence on broad forest stand characteristics. The results suggest that, at the studied spatial scale, mite community diversity has not been linked with tree diversity. Forest stands with older dominant trees and denser canopy cover tend to have communities in which species are more evenly represented rather than being dominated by only a few species.
Keywords: soil fauna, Acari, species richness, hill numbers, canopy cover