Desoria trispinata (MacGillivray, 1896), a promising model Collembola species to study biological invasions in soil communities

Abstract

The species Desoria trispinata (MacGillivray, 1896) is globally distributed but probably not native to Europe. Reports on its occurrence have increased substantially over the last years, proving that it is extremely successful, often dominating in number not only Collembola but the entire macroscopic soil fauna under favourable conditions. Still, D. trispinata has seldom been studied, and its systematic position is poorly understood. We compiled available literature on the ecology of this species, rendering information with respect to its success. In addition, during the past years we established a controlled laboratory culture and recorded life history data. Finally, we ran a molecular genetic analysis. COI sequence divergence between specimens of D. trispinata was low among specimens from Germany, UK and Russia (up to 0.1%) clearly separating these specimens from other species of the genus Desoria. However, distance to specimens of D. trispinata from Japan was high (up to 15.3%).