CHANGES IN POPULATION PARAMETERS OF ORIBATIDS (ACARI: ORIBATIDA) OF MEADOW HABITATS ON THE TRANSCARPATHIAN LOWLANDS IN THE EDAPHOTOPE HUMIDITY GRADIENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/1998-6475.2025.58.14Keywords:
ecology of oribatid mites, biotic resource, edaphotope, dominance structureAbstract
Among all abiotic factors, environmental humidity is of great importance for the formation of the population of oribatid mites. Most of the published works, both in the Transcarpathian Lowland and in Europe in general, concern the study of oribatid mite complexes in different types of zonal ecosystems, especially forest ones. In contrast, the population of oribatids of meadow habitats, which are the main type of intrazonal communities, has been studied at a fragmentary level. However, the question of the dynamics of the parameters of the populationof oribatids of meadow biotopes on the Transcarpathian Lowland in the edaphotopee humidity gradient stillremains unsolved. A study of oribatid complexes of xerophytic, mesophytic, hygrophytic and floodplain meadows has been conducted. It has been established that the edaphotopee humidity has a significant impact on the dynamics of oribatid mite communities in different types of meadows on the Transcarpathian Lowland. A correlation analysis was conducted, which showed a high level of dependence of the density of oribatids on soil moisture. The dependence of some parameters of the synecological structure of oribatid mites on soil moisture in different meadows has been established. Thus, the degree of correlation between the moisture factor and the species richness of oribatids in mesophytic meadows is the highest. This factor has a somewhat lower degree of dependence in floodplain meadows. Soil moisture has the greatest influence on the density of oribatids in hygrophytic meadows. A lowerdegree of correlation between density and humidity was found in mesophytic and xerophytic meadows. An analysisof the diversity indices of oribatid mite communities in meadow biotopes of the Transcarpathian Lowland was conducted, which confirmed the identified trend – a decrease in the level of species richness of oribatids in the gradient of decreasing soil moisture. The following indices were calculated: Margalef, Menhinik, Simpson, Shannon and Berger-Parker. For example, the Simpson index value is very sensitive to the dominant species in the studied biotopes, and the Berger-Parker index value is to the most numerous species. This feature of the last two mentioned indices allowed us to identify another trend – an increase in the proportion of dominant oribatid species is manifested with an increase in the humidity of the edaphotope. The Shannon index, given its sensitivity to rare species, allowed us to identify another pattern – an increase in rare forms of oribatids in the gradient of decreasing edaphotope humidity. The detected trend does not apply to the oribatid mite communities of hygrophytic meadows,which are rich in rare species.
References
BAYARTOGTOKH, B. (1997) Zonalnoe raspredelenye pantsyrnыkh kleshchei (Acari: Oribatida) Monholyy. Uchionyie zapiski Monholskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta, 123(4), 30–47.(in Russian).
BEKLEMYSHEV, V. N. (1961) Terms and concepts needed in the quantitative study of populations of ectoparasites and nidicoles. Zoological Journal, 40 (2). 149–158. (in Russian).
HAYES, A. J. (1963) Stadies on the feeding preferances of some Phthiricarid mites. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 6, 241-256.
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2014) Antropohenni transformatsii luchnykh uhrupovan oribatyd (Acari: Oribatida) Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [Anthropogenic transformations of meadow oribatyd mites (Acari: Oribatida) communities on Transcarpathian Lowland]. Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod University, Series Biology. 36. 102–107. (in Ukrainian).
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2015) Znachennia abiotychnykh faktoriv u formuvanni naselennia oribatyd (Acari: Oribatida) luchnykh biotopiv Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [The abiotic factors value in the formation of the oribatida (ACARI: ORIBATIDA) population of Transcarpathian lowland meadow habitats]. Proceedings of the 15th International scientific conference “Uzhhorod Entomological Readings – 2015”. Uzhhorod, Ukraine, 25–27 September, 2015, PP. 28–30.
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2018a) First records of some Oribatid mite species (Acari, Oribatida) from Ukraine. Fragmenta faunistica. 61 (1), 55–59.
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2019) Pantsyrni klishchi (Acari: Oribatida) hihrofitnykh luk Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [Oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of hygrophyte grasslands on Transcarpathian Lowland]. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum. 35, 67–74. (in Ukrainian). DОІ: https://doi.org/10.36885/nzdpm.2019.35.67-74
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2018b) Pantsyrni klishchi (Acari: Oribatida) kserofitnykh luk Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [Oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of dry grasslands on Transcarpathian Lowland]. Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod University, Series Biology. 45, 38–44. (in Ukrainian). DОІ: 10.24144/1998-6475.2018.45.38-44.
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2018c) Riznomanittia pantsyrnykh klishchiv (Acari: Oribatida) luchnykh ekosystem baseiniv richok Latorytsia ta Borzhava [The diversity of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of grassland ecosystems of Latorica and Borzhava river basins]. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum. 34, 75–80. (in Ukrainian). DОІ: https://doi.org/10.36885/ nzdpm.2018.34.75-80
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2023) Taksonomichna i ekolohichna struktura taksotseniv pantsyrnykh klishchiv (Acari: Oribatida) mezofitnykh luk Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [Taxonomic and ecological structure of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of mesophilic grasslands on the Transcarpathian lowland]. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum. 39, 89–98. (in Ukrainian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.36885/nzdpm.2023.39.89-98
HUSHTAN, H. H. (2020) Zminy ekolohichnoi struktury uhrupovan pantsyrnykh klishchiv (Oribatida) pid vplyvom antropohennykh faktoriv Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [The changes in ecological structure of oribatid mites (Oribatida) communities under the influence of anthropogenic factors on Transcarpathian Lowland]. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum. 36, 89–94. (in Ukrainian). DОІ: https://doi.org/ 10.36885/nzdpm.2020.36.89-94
HUSHTAN, H. H., HUSHTAN, K. V. (2019a) Pantsyrni klishchi (Acari: Oribatida) kserofitnykh ta petrofitnykh luk Karpatskoho biosfernoho zapovidnyka (botanichni zakaznyky “Chorna hora” ta “Iulivska hora”) [The оribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of dry and petrophytic grasslands in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (botanical reserves «Chorna Hora» and «Yulivska Hora»)]. Nature of the Carpathians: scientific yearbook of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and the Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians of the NAS of Ukraine. 1, 58–61. (in Ukrainian).
HUSHTAN, H. H., HUSHTAN, K. V. (2020) Pantsyrni klishchi (Oribatida) zaplavnykh luk Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [Oribatid mites (Oribatida) of floodplain meadows on the Transcarpathian Lowland]. Ukrainian Entomological Journal. 1-2 (18), 41–47. (in Ukrainian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15421/282006
HUSHTAN, H. H., HUSHTAN, K. V. (2019b) Pro vplyv sinokosinnia na ekolohichnu strukturu pantsyrnykh klishchiv (Oribatida) luchnykh ekosystem Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [About the influence of haying on the ecological structure of oribatid mites (Oribatida) of meadow ecosystems of the Transcarpathian lowland]. Abstracts of the IX International Scientific and Practical Internet Conference. Dnipro, Ukraine, 2–3 December, 2019. PP. 445–448.
HUSHTAN, H. H., HUSHTAN, K. V. & GLOTOV, S. V. (2021) Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari, Oribatida) of the Transcarpathian lowland, Ukraine. Persian Journal of Acarology. 10(4), 371–402. DОІ: https://doi.org/ 10.22073/pja.v10i4.68186
HUSHTAN, H. H., KAPRUS, I. IA., ROSHKO, V. H. (2013) Taksonomichna struktura naselennia oribatyd (Acari: Oribatida) luchnykh biotopiv Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [The taxonomic structure of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) population of Transcarpathian lowland meadow habitats]. Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod University, Series Biology. 34, 70–75. (in Ukrainian).
HUSHTAN, H. H., KRON, A. A., ROSHKO, V. H., MELAMUD, V. V. (2011) Riznomanittia ta ekolohichni vlastyvosti pantsyrnykh klishchiv (Acari: Oribatida) transformovanykh luchnykh ekosystem Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [The diversity and ecological characteristics of shell mites (Acari: Oribatida) of Transcarpathian Lowland transformed meadow ecosystems]. Scientific Bulletin of the Uzhhorod University, Series Biology. 31, 74–77. (in Ukrainian).
HUSHTAN, H. H., ORLOV, O. L. (2015) Umovy isnuvannia oribatyd (Acari: Oribatida) v luchnykh biotopakh Zakarpatskoi nyzovyny [The existence conditions of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of meadow habitats of Transcarpathian lowland]. Proceedings of the State Natural History Museum. 31, 89–96. (in Ukrainian).
JALIL, M. (1972) The effect of dissication on some oribatid mites. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 74(4), 406–410.
KRANT, G. W., WALTER, D. E., BEHAN-PELLETIER, V. et al. (2009) A manual of acarology. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press. 807 p.
MADGE, D. S. (1964a) The water-relations of Belba geniculata Oudemans and other species of oribatid mites. Acarologia. Vol. 9. № 1/2. P. 199–223.
MADGE, D. S. (1964b) The himidity relations of oribatid mites. Ibid. Vol. 6. № 5. P. 566–591.
MAGURRAN, A. E. (2004) Measuring Biological diversity. Blackwell Publishing company. 256 p.
PAVLICHENKO, P. G. (1994) A guide to the ceratozetoid mites (Oribatei, Ceratozetoidea) of Ukraine. I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev. 143 p. (in Russian).
RIHA, C. (1951) Zur Orulogie der Oribatiden in Kalksteinboden. Zool. Jahrb. (Syst.). № 80. P. 408–450.
SHEELA, K., HAQ, M. A. (1991) Oribatid mites as bioindicators of soil moisture. Advances in management and concervation in soil fauna. Oxford & IBH Publishing CO. PVT. LTD. New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta. 871–876.
SERGIENKO, G. D. (1994) Fauna of Ukraine. №. 25, 21, Lower Oribatida. Kyiv, Naukova dumka. [in Russian].
SCHATZ, H., BEHAN-PELLETIER, V. M., OCONNOR, B. M., NORTON, R. A. (2011) Suborder Oribatida van der Hammen, 1968. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.), Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher- level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa, 3148. 141–148.
STÖCKER, G., BERGMANN, A. (1977) Ein Modell der Dominanzstruktur und seine Anwendung. 1. Modellbildung. Modellrealisierung, Dominanzklassen. Archiv für Naturschutz und Landschaftsforschung, 7(1), 1–26.
WEIGMANN, G. (2006) Acari, Actinochaetida Hornmilben (Oribatida). Keltern, Goecke & Evers.
WHITTAKER, R. H. (1977) Evolution of species diversity in land communities. Evolutionary Biology. 10. 1–67.
