Community structure of oribatid mites in relation to elevation and geology on the slope of Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

The patterns of oribatid communities were investigated in relation to elevations (700, 1700, 2700 and 3100 m a.s.l.) and geological substrates (i.e. non-ultrabasic and ultrabasic rocks) on the slopes of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The density and morphospecies richness of oribatid mites were greater in the non-ultrabasic plot than in the ultrabasic plot at each of the same elevations. The density and richness of Oribatid mites decreased with elevation on both substrates, but the effects of elevation on the density on non-ultrabasic were less significant than on the ultrabasic substrate. Oribatid mite density correlated positively with the concentration of soil organic phosphorus and negatively with that of exchangeable Ca in soil. The richness of morphospecies of oribatid mites positively correlated with phosphorus concentration in litter, above-ground biomass, tree diversity and litterfall amount, and negatively correlated with elevation and Ca in soil. Morphospecies from families Galumnidae, Otocepheidae, Haplozetidae and Scheloribatidae were dominant in each plot. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed the importance of elevation for the community structure of oribatid mite. In conclusion, total density or morphospecies richness of oribatid communities was influenced by both geology and elevation, and morphospecies composition was strongly influenced by elevation.