Modelling local-scale determinants and the probability of microarthropod species occurrence in Antarctic soils

Soil fauna in the extreme conditions of Antarctica consists of a few microinvertebrate species patchily distributed at different spatial scales. Populations of the prostigmatic mite Stereotydeus belli and the collembolan Gressittacantha terranova from northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) were used as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Main Authors: Caruso, Tancredi, Borghini, Francesca, Bucci, Charlie, Colacevich, Andrea, Bargagli, Roberto
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2007
Subjects:
Antarctic arthropods
HABITAT
biological interactions
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
COMMUNITY
VICTORIA LAND
GOMPHIOCEPHALUS-HODGSONI
distribution
models
COLLEMBOLA
soil properties
ABUNDANCE
INVERTEBRATES
CLIMATE-CHANGE
ROSS ISLAND
/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action
name=SDG 13 - Climate Action
/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/life_on_land
name=SDG 15 - Life on Land
Antarctic
Victoria Land
Ross Island
Antarc*
Antarctica
Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni
Terranova
Mite
Online Access:https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/004a8e71-2a35-4419-9064-be49bdcf7730
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.06.010
Description
Summary:Soil fauna in the extreme conditions of Antarctica consists of a few microinvertebrate species patchily distributed at different spatial scales. Populations of the prostigmatic mite Stereotydeus belli and the collembolan Gressittacantha terranova from northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) were used as models to study the effect of soil properties on microarthropod distributions. In agreement with the general assumption that the development and distribution of life in these ecosystems is mainly controlled by abiotic factors, we found that the probability of occurrence of S. belli depends on soil moisture and texture and on the sampling period (which affects the general availability of water); surprisingly, none of the analysed variables were significantly related to the G. terranova distribution. Based on our results and literature data, we propose a theoretical model that introduces biotic interactions among the major factors driving the local distribution of collembolans in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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