Abstract
The present study analyzes the effects of pollution with cement powder on the Gamasina mite communities from soil organic horizon of some forest ecosystems. The study was carried out in two main polluted areas - one situated in Southern Romania (Cement Plant from Campulung Muscel - Arges County) and the other one in the North-East (the Tasca-Bicaz Cement Plant - Neamt County). Forest ecosystems located at different distances from the pollution sources were studied and the seasonal dynamics of both the gamasid fauna and community structures were monitored. The study focused on the suborder Gamasina Leach 1815, but the total abundance of the uropodids (Uropodina Kramer, 1882) was also considered. It was found that the percentage of Gamasina mites among all mites was higher in the control forests than in the polluted ecosystems, which was true for both polluted areas. Considering their ecological requirements, their habitat preference, vertical distribution in the soil, and seasonal population changes were investigated. In polluted biotopes, the Gamasina communities suffered from lower densities, fewer species and replacement of some species with others. The analysis of the Gamasina species distribution in the control and polluted ecosystems suggests that some species can be considered tolerant, such as certain representatives of Zerconidae, Parasitidae, Pachylaelapidae, Veigaiidae etc.
Highlights
Industry is currently considered as the most important source of air, soil and water pollution
The researches carried out in some zones affected by industrial pollution were dedicated to the microartropod fauna in general and some systematic and trophic groups in specific, at the species level being investigated only for oribatids (Calugar et al 1983, Vasiliu and Mihailescu 1989, Vasiliu et al 1995, Vasiliu and Ivan 1995, Ivan and Vasiliu 2009, Ivan and Vasiliu 2010)
This paper aims to highlight the effect exerted by the pollution with cement powder on edaphic Gamasina mites, which is the most important group of predatory mites and most species found at the end of the food chain
Summary
Industry is currently considered as the most important source of air, soil and water pollution. The researches carried out in some zones affected by industrial pollution were dedicated to the microartropod fauna in general and some systematic and trophic groups in Calugar A. specific, at the species level being investigated only for oribatids (Calugar et al 1983, Vasiliu and Mihailescu 1989, Vasiliu et al 1995, Vasiliu and Ivan 1995, Ivan and Vasiliu 2009, Ivan and Vasiliu 2010). This paper aims to highlight the effect exerted by the pollution with cement powder on edaphic Gamasina mites, which is the most important group of predatory mites and most species found at the end of the food chain. Investigations were conducted in two areas affected by this type of pollution, Câmpulung Muscel (southern Romania) and Tasca Bicaz (North-East Romania). The results were compared to previous researches developed at Câmpulung Muscel, focusing on oribatid mites (Ivan and Vasiliu 2010) and to similar researches concerning both Oribatida and Gamasida mites conducted in a pine forest in Poland (Seniczak et al 1999)
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