Abstract
Although harvestmen (Opiliones) are among the best studied groups of arachnids in Europe from the faunistic point of view, there is still lack of available information on ecological requirements of the particular species. Habitat preferences that determine the distribution of species are largely determined by the habitat structure and microclimate. Besides other factors, these characteristics of habitats are also influenced by the nature of the vegetation. Therefore, our study dealt with the influence of tree species on harvestmen communities. We conducted the research on nine sites in the Borová hora arboretum (Zvolen town, Central Slovakia). Each studied site represents a monoculture of one of nine tree species. On each site also some attributes of soil and leaf litter (pH, conductivity, content of H, C, N and P) were evaluated. Harvestmen were collected by pitfall trapping during vegetation periods in 2008–2012. In total, 2515 individuals of 17 species and 3 families were obtained. Significant differences were revealed between the compared forest stands in terms of total epigeic activity and species richness of harvestmen. The hierarchical cluster analysis divided harvestmen communities into two main clusters (except community of the site with European hornbeam). The first one represented four sites with relatively lower canopy (< 50%) and with the higher number of captured individuals, the second cluster grouped four sites with higher canopy (> 50%) and with the lower number of captured individuals. The results of research confirmed statistically significant relationships between the litter conductivity and equitability and between the litter pH and equitability of harvestmen communities.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Slovak grant agency VEGA, grant number 1/0186/14. We are grateful to Mr. Ben Sorensen (Ashford University) for editing the language and comments on the manuscript.
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© 2017 Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Botany
- Allelopathy: An overview from micro- to macroscopic organisms, from cells to environments, and the perspectives in a climate-changing world
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Prospecting soil bacteria from subtropical Brazil for hydrolases production
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Yield improvement of the king oyster mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii, by transformation of its cellulase gene
- Botany
- Accumulation and physiological response of cadmium in Hydrocharis dubia
- Botany
- Development of an efficient Agrobacterium mediated transformation system for chickpea (Cicer arietinum)
- Botany
- Distribution and ecology of high-mountain Solidago minuta (Asteraceae) in Poland
- Zoology
- Ecology of moss-dwelling rotifers in a raised bog: Differentiation of rotifer communities in microhabitats
- Zoology
- Harvestmen (Opiliones) communities in an arboretum: Influence of tree species
- Zoology
- A crossover design to assess feeding preferences in terrestrial isopods: A case study in a Mediterranean species
- Zoology
- Ecology-based mapping of mosquito breeding sites for area-minimized BTI treatments
- Zoology
- Does the invasion of Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra in parkland influence the diversity of birds?
- Zoology
- Prevalence of dorsal notch and variations in the foramen magnum shape in dogs of different breeds and morphotypes
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Low density lipoprotein increases amyloid precursor protein processing to amyloidogenic pathway in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells