Soil Oribatida (Acari) of ecotones between Scots pine forest and

SOIL ORIBATIDA OF ECOTONES
221
BIOLOGICAL LETT. 2006, 43(2): 221–225
Available online at http://www.biollett.amu.edu.pl
Soil Oribatida (Acari) of ecotones between Scots pine forest and
lakes in the National Park ‘Bory Tucholskie’
STANIS£AW SENICZAK1, GRZEGORZ BUKOWSKI1, ANNA SENICZAK1
and HANNA BUKOWSKA2
1
Department of Ecology, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Kordeckiego 20,
PL-85-225 Bydgoszcz; e-mail: [email protected]; 2 Laboratory of Environmental Protection,
Nowodworska 33/3, PL-85-120 Bydgoszcz
(Received on 2 January 2006, Accepted on 15 November 2006)
Abstract: Soil Oribatida (Acari) of ecotones between Scots pine forest and lakes in the National Park
‘Bory Tucholskie’ were investigated. Two ecotones, with 6 plots in each, between pine forest and the
lakes Wielkie Gacno and Ma³e Gacno were chosen, as well as 1 plot in the forest interior for comparison.
In these ecotones various soils, plant associations and microhabitats were present, with more species of
plants and oribatid mites than in the forest interior. Some species of Oribatida preferred Scots pine forest,
others were the most abundant near lakes, and still others preferred the border between forest and the
adjacent open area.
Key words: forest landscape, lakes, ecotone, biodiversity, soil, Acari, Oribatida
INTRODUCTION
One of the most interesting forest complexes in Poland is the Tuchola Forest
(Bory Tucholskie). It occupies an area of ca. 400 000 ha, which has been shaped by
the Weichselian (=Baltic) glaciation and is part of the Pomeranian Lakeland (KONDRACKI 2000). The surface of this area is hummocky, with knolls of various height
and wide plains between them. In depressions, lakes of various size and peat bogs
have formed. The lakes are generally shallow and without outflow, and some are
oligotrophic and acid. The most interesting parts of the Tuchola Forest were included
in 1996 in the National Park ‘Bory Tucholskie’.
The Tuchola Forest is composed mainly of Scots pine stands, which were
planted usually on sandy soils, poor in the elements necessary for plant growth. Therefore, the species diversity of these stands is usually low, with small numbers of predatory species and parasites, which are not able to regulate the density of pests. The
pests find here good growing conditions, so they multiply very quickly, achieving
high densities from time to time. To stop their further development and to avoid
damage of trees, chemicals are used against the pests, but this increases the level of
222
S. Seniczak et al.
pollutants in the forest. We can improve the stability of the Tuchola Forest by including more tree species in Scots pine stands and by supporting the ecotones, which
are rich in species (ODUM 1982), like those between pine stands and lakes.
In this research the density and species diversity of soil Oribatida (Acari) were
investigated in ecotones between Scots pine forest and the lakes Wielkie Gacno and
Ma³e Gacno in the National Park ‘Bory Tucholskie’. These lakes are surrounded by
Scots pine forest and have no outflow. They are oligotrophic, acid and are classified
as lobelia lakes because of the indicator plant species: water lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna L.). The climate of this region is temperate, with a mean annual temperature
of 7.1°C, annual precipitation of 596 mm, snow cover of about 30 days and growing
season of about 200 days. The wind blows most commonly from the west and the
northwest, and is usually a breeze (WOΠ1999).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In the National Park ‘Bory Tucholskie’, 6 plots were chosen between Scots
pine forest and Wielkie Gacno, in a distance of 33 m (plot 1), 27 m (plot 2), 18 m
(plot 3), 9 m (plot 4), 6 m (plot 5) and 3 m (plot 1) from the lake edge (Fig. 1).
Similarly, 6 other plots were chosen between forest and Ma³e Gacno, in a distance
of 10 m (plot 1), 8 m (plot 2), 6 m (plot 3), 4 m (plot 4), 2 m (plot 5) and 0.2 m from
the lake edge. Plot 0 was in the forest interior, in a distance of 150 m from Wielkie
Gacno, but it was used for comparison with ecotones of both lakes.
The plant associations were classified according to BARKMAN et al. (1964). The
Scots pine forest created the plant association Leucobryo-Pinetum, dominated by Scots
pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) with a small addition of juniper (Juniperus communis L.).
Fig. 1. Location of investigated plots in ecotones between Scots pine forest and the lakes Wielkie Gacno
(A) and Ma³e Gacno (B)
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SOIL ORIBATIDA OF ECOTONES
Table 1. Floristic characteristics of plots, density (A, in 103 individuals per m2), number of species (S) and Shannon
index (H’) of Oribatida and density of some species, in ecotones between Scots pine forest and lakes Wielkie Gacno
(W) and Ma³e Gacno (M), * significant difference at P<0.05 between plot 0 (forest interior) and another plot
Plots
Characteristics
Degree of cover by:
0
tree layer
%
W
M
shrub layer
%
W
M
herb layer
%
W
M
moss layer
%
W
M
W
Number of plant species
M
Oribatida
A
W
M
S
W
M
H’
W
Hemileius initialis (Berlese, 1908)
A
W
A
M
Microppia minus (Paoli, 1908)
A
W
A
M
A
W
A
M
A
W
M
Oppiella nova (Oudemans, 1902)
Tectocepheus velatus (Michael, 1880)
75
5
70
60
11
92.3
35.0
2.2
2.0
6.6
6.5
39.1
1
2
3
4
5
6
70
70
100
50
0
0
80
60
0
0
0
0
5
0
5
30
0
0
10
20
5
5
40
0
80
50
10
40
40
30
100
80
20
30
60
90
20
60
5
80
80
90
20
20
80
70
20
0
12
13
11
18
16
14
14
17
11
18
18
17.8*
17.9*
21.6*
59.2*
22.6*
64.9*
5
176.2*
162.2*
70.4*
46.3*
17.2*
7.4*
33.0
40.0
22.0
41.0
34.0
26.0
47.0
48.0
43.0
44.0
34.0
11.0
2.6
2.6
1.8
2.8
2.7
2.1
2.3
2.6
2.5
2.9
2.7
1.6
0.7
0.3*
0.2*
1.0
0.3*
0.0
2.8
2.8
0.5*
0.3*
0.6
0.0
2.4*
0.3*
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.9*
<0.1*
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.4
3.8
6.0
10.9
2.9
0.7
37.8*
18.4*
23.8
8.4
5.7
0.1
3.8*
2.5*
0.1*
4.3*
0.2*
0.2*
A
M
64.2
53.4
8.1*
5.5*
0.4*
<0.1*
Heminothrus peltifer (C. L. Koch, 1839) A
W
0.1
0.0
0.2
2.0
0.0
0.1
A
M
0.8
3.6
1.0
4.9
1.0
0.0
A
W
A
M
A
W
Hydrozetes lacustris (Michael, 1882)
Limnozetes ciliatus (Schrank, 1803)
Malaconothrus sp.
A
M
A
W
A
M
Trimalaconothrus maior (Berlese, 1910) A
W
A
M
A
W
A
M
A
W
A
M
Dissorhina ornata (Oudemans, 1900)
Trhypochthonius tectorum (Berlese, 1896)
0.0
<0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
4.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
4.7
3.2
22.6
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
1.9
0.0
0.1
0.1
8.2
4.2
6.9
0.0
0.0
6.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.7
0.1
0.0
3.7
0.0
4.8
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.4
2.0
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.6
0.1
0.0
0.6
7.9
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
224
S. Seniczak et al.
In plots 1 and 2, in the direction of Wielkie Gacno, also Scots pine dominated, with
small addition of juniper and silver birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) in plot 1, and
also with Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] in plot 2, but in plot 3 birch prevailed, with addition of pine and juniper. In plot 4, the degree of cover by Scots pine
trees was low, but the shrub layer was well developed, with Labrador tea (Ledum
palustre L.) and young Scots pine and birch. The moss layer of this plot and plots 5
and 6 was composed mainly of peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.).
In plots 1 and 2 near Ma³e Gacno, Scots pine dominated with a small addition
of juniper. Between the forest and the lake, mosses prevailed in plots 3 and 4: Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw. and P. commune Hedw. in plot 3, peat mosses in plot 4.
Scots pine seedlings dominated in plot 5 and common sedge [Carex nigra (L.)
Reichard, syn. C. fusca Bell. et All.] in plot 6. In both ecotones the species diversity
of plants was usually higher than in the forest interior (Table 1).
In the forest interior and in plots 1 and 2 near Ma³e Gacno, the soils belonged
to the spodic udipsamments (surface gley podzolic soils), with a well-developed forest
litter. In plots 3–5, between the forest and this lake, the soils belonged to gley podzols, while in plots 1–6 near Wielkie Gacno, the soils were sapric histosols (mucky
peats). A more detailed description of plant associations and soils in the investigated
plots was given earlier (SENICZAK et al. 2005a, b).
Soil samples of 17 cm2 in area and 10 cm deep were taken in all plots in April
and September 2000 in 10 replicates, and were further divided into 2 layers: 0-5 cm
and 5–10 cm. The exceptions were plots 0, 1 and 2 near Ma³e Gacno, where 2 horizons were distinguished: organic (0–8 cm) and mineral (8–10 cm). Oribatid mites
were extracted from this material in high-gradient Tullgren funnels (total 13 772
mites). We determined them to species or genus, including the juveniles. The species diversity of Oribatida was characterized with the Shannon H’ index (ODUM 1982).
The results were verified with the HSD Tukey test (1-way ANOVA, Statistica 6).
A logarithmic transformation (x+1) was used to normalize abundance data prior to
statistical analyses (BERTHET & GERARD 1965). Names of oribatid species follow
SUBÍAS (2004).
RESULTS
In plots 1-6 near Wielkie Gacno, densities of Oribatida were distinctly lower
than in the Scots pine forest interior (Table 1), except plots 4 and 6, where they were
relatively high. In plots 1 and 2 near Ma³e Gacno, the density was higher than in the
forest interior and decreased in the direction of the lake. All values were significantly different from the Scots pine forest interior. In the investigated ecotones the number
of species of Oribatida and H’ index were usually higher than in the forest interior.
In the investigated ecotones, several species [Hemileius initialis (Berlese, 1908),
Microppia minus (Paoli, 1908), Oppiella nova (Oudemans, 1902), Tectocepheus
velatus (Michael, 1880)] preferred the forest, some others [Heminothrus peltifer (C.
L. Koch, 1839), Hydrozetes lacustris (C. L. Koch, 1839), Limnozetes ciliatus
(Schrank, 1803), Malaconothrus sp., Trimalaconothrus maior (Berlese, 1910)] were
the most abundant near the lakes, and still others [Dissorhina ornata (Oudemans,
1900), Trhypochthonius tectorum (Berlese, 1896)] preferred the border between forest and adjacent open area. In the ecotones we also found species like Heterozetes
SOIL ORIBATIDA OF ECOTONES
225
palustris (Willmann, 1917), Mainothrus badius (Berlese, 1905), Melanozetes meridianus (Sellnick, 1928), Nanhermannia comitalis Berlese, 1916, N. dorsalis Banks, 1896,
Nothrus palustris C. L. Koch, 1839, and N. pratensis Sellnick, 1928, which preferred
the moist habitat and were usually absent in Scots pine forests.
DISCUSSION
Cultivation of Scots pine trees on a large scale in the Tuchola Forest for many
years has resulted in a low diversity of plants and animals, which has decreased the
stability of the forest landscape. Therefore, introduction of other tree species is highly
recommended here, as well as supporting the geographical and biological heterogeneity (lakes and small meadows), which can increase the species diversity of the
landscape and its stability (BEHAN-PELLETIER 1999). This was well observed in the
ecotones between Scots pine forests and the lakes Wielkie Gacno and Ma³e Gacno,
where the plant associations, soils and microhabitats were differentiated, with more
plant and oribatid species than in the forest interior. This is typical for ecotones (ODUM
1982). In the ecotones some species of Oribatida preferred the Scots pine forest, but
others were the most abundant near lakes, and still others preferred the border between forest and adjacent open area. A similar situation was observed between Scots
pine forest and meadow (SENICZAK et al. 2000).
Our results lead to the conclusion that ecotones between lakes and forest increase
the variability of plants, soils, habitats and oribatid mites, as compared to Scots pine
forest. Thus lakes increase the heterogeneity of forest landscape and its stability.
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Associate editor: MACIEJ SKORUPSKI