The maturity index for Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) communities as an indicator of human-caused disturbance in selected forest complexes of Poland.

ABSTRACT: The necessity of monitoring changes occurring in soil compels us to look for new methods that will allow easy and precise evaluation of the soil quality in a given area. One proposed method is the maturity index (MI) - an index that is based on the distribution of species along the r-to-K continuum in examined populations. In this study, mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Mesostigmata) were examined for their appropriateness in MI-based assessments of soil quality. The first aim of the study was to establish the criteria on the basis of which the evaluation of the r-to-K reproductive strategies was conducted for Uropodina in the examined communities. The second aim was to evaluate the performance of the maturity index of communities of Uropodina as indicator of human-caused disturba

SUBMITTER: Napierala A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8041667 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature