Affiliation: | aSoil Ecology Research Group, Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan bTomakomai Higashi High School, Tomakomai, 053-8555, Japan cFaculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan dForestry and Forest Product Institute, Kiso-Fukushima, Japan eTomakomai Research Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, 053-0035, Jappan |
Abstract: | Differences in tree species may lead to contrasting soil environments via differences in litter chemical quality and physical environmental factors, such as soil type and soil moisture. However, separating the effects of litter quality and physical environment is difficult under field conditions. Both litter quality and soil environment affect the species composition of the soil animal community. A diversity gradient of canopy tree species (11–25 species) located on homogeneous soil substrate at Tomakomai Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University was used to analyse the relationship between tree species diversity and oribatid mite community structure. Soil samples were collected from three levels of tree species richness (high, intermediate and low) with three replicates each, in July 2000. Leaf area index (LAI) was positively correlated with tree species diversity suggesting higher litter input into the soils with increasing tree diversity. However, the tree species diversity gradient affected neither accumulation of litter on the forest floor nor abundance and species richness of oribatid mites. Canopy and understory plant species richness, LAI, total soil carbon and biomass of epigeic and endogeic earthworms did not significantly affect mite community structure as indicated by redundancy analysis (RDA). The results suggest that oribatid mite community structure is minimally affected by tree species diversity and associated changes in litter diversity. |