ORIBATID MITES (ORIBATIDA) OF FLOODPLAIN MEADOWS ON THE TRANSCARPATHIAN LOWLAND

  • H. H. Hushtan State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine
  • K. V. Hushtan State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine
Keywords: Ukraine, floodplain meadow biotopes, species communities, oribatid mites, biodiversity

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of taxonomic diversity, dominance structure, spectra of morpho-ecological types, biotope complexes and groups of oribatids of floodplain meadows of the Transcarpathian lowland. Prior to our works, studies of oribatid mites did not occur. We studied the communities of oribatids of floodplain meadows of the Transcarpathian lowland in different seasons of 2013-2014 (summer, autumn, winter). All of these studies are conducted according to generally accepted methods of soil zoology. The studied biotopes are located in the vicinity of Chop city and Mala Dobron village (Zakarpattia region, Ukraine). Extraction of mites from soil was carried out using Tullgren funnel metod. Permanent preparations were prepared. Identification of the specimens was carried out using a microscope (Olympus BX 42). Oribatids of flood meadow are represented by 29 species from 22 genera and 18 families. The number of mite species per sample varied from one to eight, 3 in average were found in one soil sample (α-diversity) of floodplain meadows of the Transcarpathian lowland. According to the frequency of occurrence, there are five mass species, eight common and 17 with an average index of occurrence. The families Scheloribatidae and Oppiidae are the most represented. The communities of oribatids of floodplain meadows of the Transcarpathian lowland is well structured and is represented by 5 classes of dominance (eudominants, dominants, subdominants, recedents and subrecedents). Scheloribates laevigatus in the studied habitats is eudominant. A significant proportion is dominant Scheloribates latipes (20%). Subdominants include Scheloribates fimbriatus, Zygoribatula frisiae and Punctoribates hexagonus. Recedents are represented by six species (10% of the total). The subrecedents include nineteen species of oribatids (10% of the total). The average density of communities of Oribatida is 4.4 thousand ex. per m2. Oribatid mites of floodplain meadows of the studied area are represented by ten morpho-ecological types. Most oribatids of this habitat belong to the non-specialized forms. According to the hygropreference, 5 biotope complexes (eurybionts, hygrophilous, hygro-mesophilous, mesophilous, xerophilous) of Oribatida have been identified in the ecological structure. 49% of found species are hygrophilous. Five biotope groups of oribatids (eurytopic, forest, forest-meadow, meadow, rock) have been identified. Meadow and forest-meadow species are the most represented (76% of the total density). The work was performed within the framework of the scientific topic: "Estimation of the biotic diversity of model groups of Arthropoda of the Ukrainian Carpathians with the use of modern information technology".

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Published
2020-12-27
Section
Articles