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Communities of Oribatida associated with litter input in western red cedar tree crowns: Are moss mats ‘magic carpets’ for oribatid mite dispersal?

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Trends in Acarology

Abstract

Oribatid mite abundance,species richness,and community composition in annual litter fall were compared betweenthe high canopy of an ancient temperate rainforest and the forest floor to evaluate whether litterfall, including mossdebris, is a dispersal vector for these organisms. Oribatid mites were extracted from litterfall collected from canopy(30)m and ground (1)m litter traps associated with six western red cedar trees in the Walbran Valley on the southwestcoast of Vancouver Island, Canada, over 3, 6, and 12 months. Total annual litter input was not significantly differentbetween canopy and ground traps, as high amounts of litter were associated with both habitats. Litter compositiondiffered between the two habitats and cumulative input over larger spatial scales may prove to be appreciablydifferent.Fifty-seven species of oribatid mites were associated with total litterfall collected in canopy and ground trapsover 12 months.Species richness over the entire sampling period was similar between canopy and ground habitats,but oribatid mite species composition differed significantly, and is most likely related to litter composition and the initialsource of litter. Oribatid mite abundance(number of individuals per gram dry weight)associated with litterfall waslow compared to suspended soil habitats, and not significantly different between litter accumulation in ground andcanopy traps. Nevertheless, a general trend of high litter input and high species richness associated with litterfall incanopy habitats, combined with high disperser survivorship, suggests dispersal vectors such as moss mats are importantfor maintaining arboreal oribatid mite communities

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Author notes

  1. Zoë Lindo

    Present address: Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B1, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3020, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3N5, Canada

    Zoë Lindo

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  1. Zoë Lindo
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Correspondence to Zoë Lindo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, Netherlands

    Maurice W. Sabelis

  2. Section Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, Amsterdam, 1090 GE, Netherlands

    Jan Bruin

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Lindo, Z. (2010). Communities of Oribatida associated with litter input in western red cedar tree crowns: Are moss mats ‘magic carpets’ for oribatid mite dispersal?. In: Sabelis, M., Bruin, J. (eds) Trends in Acarology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9837-5_22

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