Soil Mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) Communities and Their Relationships with Some Environmental Variables in Experimental Grasslands from Bucegi Mountains in Romania

Simple Summary Grasslands are critical from ecological and pastoral points of view, being defined by valuable species of plants and animals. One of the most important biological components is soil fauna, as soil mites. The objective of the present study was to study the relation between fertilised experimental grasslands and soil mite (Acari: Mesostigmata) fauna. In this context, the aims of the research were to investigate the structural differences between mite communities and some key environmental variables from in five fertilised plots, the correlations of these variables with mites, and the dispersal rates of these invertebrate communities between grasslands. The number of species and their abundances recorded the highest values in the reseeded grassland and the lowest in the control plot. An indicator species analysis identified characteristic species for each experimental plot. The structural differences of the mite communities between plots were due to the significant influences of environmental variables. Between the experimental grasslands dominated by the accessory and accidental species, the dispersal rate of the mite communities was higher, in comparison were populations characterised by the constant species. Controlled and rationale use of agrochemicals (organic and chemic), influenced positive the numerical abundance and species richness of the soil mite communities, improving the soil environmental conditions for these invertebrates. The main objective of the study was to analyse, for the first time in Romania, the relationships between five experimental grasslands and Mesostigmata fauna, considering: (1) the structural differences between mite communities; (2) the variations in some important abiotic factors (vegetation cover, soil temperature, soil moisture content, pH, soil resistance at penetration); and (3) the influence of these abiotic factors on the structures of Mesostigmata mite communities and the dispersal rates of these communities between the investigated plots. In total, 250 soil samples were analysed in July 2017, revealing the presence of 30 species, with 1163 individuals. Using the multivariate analysis, we observed that each experimental plot was defined by characteristic environmental conditions, i.e., vegetation cover, soil moisture content, and soil temperature differed significantly between the experimental grasslands. Each experimental plot was characterised by a specific indicator species and population parameters (numerical abundance and species richness). The effects of these soil variables were even demonstrated at species level: Veigaia planicola, Geolaelaps nolli, and Gamasellodes insignis were influenced by vegetation cover, Lysigamasus conus and Dendrolaelaps foveolatus by soil temperature. The dispersal rates of mite communities from one plot to another were higher in the grasslands, where there were euconstant-constant species.

Automated summary

This study investigates the relationship between fertilised experimental grasslands and soil mite fauna. The research reveals the structural differences between mite communities and key environmental variables in the grasslands, as well as the dispersal rates of these invertebrate communities. The study finds that controlled and rationale use of agrochemicals can positively influence the abundance and species richness of soil mite communities. The results also show that different environmental variables significantly influence the structure of mite communities in different grasslands.