Elevation and local habitat characteristics jointly determine soil oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) assemblages in the Changbai Mountains, China

AimsUnderstanding the underlying mechanisms of biodiversity elevation patterns is a crucial issue in biogeography research. Of these mechanisms, soil fauna is closely related to above-ground vegetation, but our understanding of the patterns of elevational diversity that drive soil fauna in different plant habitats remains limited.MethodsThis study aimed to investigate the diversity and community structure of soil oribatid mites and driving factors in four vegetation zones (MCBF, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests; MCF, mixed coniferous forests; BF, birch forests; AT, alpine tundra) and three habitats (tree, shrub, and herb) within each vegetation zone in the Changbai Mountains, northeastern China, from July to August 2021.ResultsOverall, the community composition and diversity indices of oribatid mites varied considerably with different vegetation zones in the Changbai Mountains. Results showed that oribatid mite community composition differed significantly between tree, shrub, and herb habitats in MCBF and MCF, whereas in BF and AT, oribatid mite community composition did not differ among habitats. The abundance of oribatid mites showed a hump-shaped distribution pattern in different vegetation zones, and both Shannon and richness indices decreased with increasing elevation. However, there was no significant difference in oribatid mite diversity indices among different habitats. Furthermore, the beta-diversity of the overall oribatid mite community did not differ between the four vegetation zones, and the Sorensen dissimilarity index (beta(sor)) was a major component of beta-diversity in the different habitat types. Our study suggests that the combined effects of regional and local factors accounted for the largest variance of oribatid mite community composition among tree, shrub, herb, and total habitats, with soil pH being the most principal factor influencing oribatid mite diversity.ConclusionsTaken together, we conclude that the combined effect of elevation and local habitat characteristics on soil oribatid mite assemblage changes with increasing altitude. Such information contributes to understand the influence of above-ground vegetation shifts on below-ground communities.

Automated summary

This study investigated the diversity and community structure of soil oribatid mites in different vegetation zones of the Changbai Mountains. The results showed significant differences in community composition and diversity among vegetation zones, but not among habitats. Soil pH was identified as the main factor influencing oribatid mite diversity.