Microarthropod communities associated with biological soil crusts in the Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan deserts |
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| Authors: | D.A. Neher S.A. Lewins T.R. Weicht B.J. Darby |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Water Resources and Environmental Geology, University of Almería, Crta. Sacramento s/n, 04120, La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain;2. Unidad Asociada UVA-CSIC al Centro de Astrobiología, University of Valladolid, Parque Tecnológico Boecillo, 47151 Valladolid, Spain;3. Department of Geology, University of Oviedo, Arias de Velasco s/n, 30005 Oviedo, Spain;4. Dipartimentpo di Scienze della Natura e del Territorio, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy;5. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy;6. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway;7. Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra, Camino del Jueves s/n, 18100 Armilla, Granada, Spain;8. Geosciences Institute, IGEO (CSIC-UCM), Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, C/ José Antonio Novais, 2, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain;1. A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr., 33, Moscow 119071, Russia;2. Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University, Kremlyovskaya str. 18, Kazan 420008, Russia;3. Institute of Animal Ecology, Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26, 35392 Giessen, Germany;1. School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Earth Science Building, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia;2. Hydrologic, Geomorphic and Chemical Processes Program, Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia;3. Department of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK |
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| Abstract: | Biological soil crusts provide habitat for microarthropods of various trophic groups in arid systems, but the community composition and functional role of microarthropods in these unique systems are not well characterized for many desert locations. This study examined the microarthropod community, including mites, collembolans, and tardigrades, associated with early- and late-successional stage biological soil crusts at two locations, Colorado Plateau (southeastern Utah) and Chihuahuan Desert (southern New Mexico). Most microarthropod groups were more abundant in Colorado Plateau than Chihuahuan Desert, and tardigrades were more abundant near the surface (0–10 cm) than at depth (10–30 cm). Although the microarthropod community composition differed between Colorado Plateau and Chihuahuan Desert, Aphelacaridae, Cosmochthoniidae, Micropsammidae, Nanorchestidae, Stigmaeidae, and Tydeidae were families common to both locations, both crust stages and both depths. Most families present were microphytophagous, either strictly or as facultative predators. These findings are compatible with the microfloral nature of biological soil crusts dominated by lichen, moss, and cyanobacteria. Occasional predation of nematodes and protozoa grazing on the crust flora is likely. Other groups identified included zoophages, necrophages and macrophytophages. Proposed is a ‘core community’ of five strict microphytophages, four facultative predators, two zoophages, and one necrophage family. |
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