Species Structure of Oribatid Mite Population (Acari, Oribatea) in the Forest Floor Litter in the Reclaimed Territories (Ukraine)

Abstract

Abstract The features of the structure of the population of oribatid mites (Oribatida) as primary destructors of dead plant material that provide such ecosystem service as improvement of soil fertility are considered. Studies were performed in various stratigraphic types of artifi cial edaphotopes in the reclaimed sites of “Pavlogradskaya” query (Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk Region, Ukraine), which were planted with eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana Linnaeus). Th e amount of oribatid mite species in the forest litter of studied forest plantation varied from 16 to 25. Minimal number of species (16) and minimal population density of oribatid mites (4720 ind./m2) was established for calcic chernozem topsoil type with sand interlayer, which can be explained by lower thickness of the forest fl oor litter within this reclamation type.