Soil mesostigmatid mites as a potential tool for bioindication concerning ecological status of forest

Abstract

Free-living predatory mesostigmatid soil mites from five different forests from the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (DDBR) were analyzed in order to get information for defining the conservation status of the investigated sites. On the whole, in the five studied sites 32 species of Mesostigmata belonging to 22 genera and 11 families were recorded. The analyzed material includes new species of Romanian fauna as well as rare and less cited species from Romania. A quarter of the identified species were formerly found in the Danube Delta, two species being identified only within DDBR territory. The particular conditions of each stand (vegetation, type of soil etc.) as well as climatic conditions influence both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the structure of the mesostigmatid mites communities. Horizontal and vertical distributions and the aspects of demographic structure are discussed and the degree of similarity of the gamasid mite communities from the five sites were analyzed on the basis of specific composition and quantitative parameters.