Mite communities (Acari: Mesostigmata, Oribatida) in the red belt conk, Fomitopsis pinicola (Polyporales), in Polish forests

Anna K Gdula,Dariusz J Gwiazdowicz,Bogna Zawieja,Piotr Skubała

doi:10.1007/s10493-021-00635-1

Anna K Gdula, Dariusz J Gwiazdowicz + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-021-00635-1

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Abstract

The fruiting bodies of bracket fungi are a specific microhabitat colonized by various invertebrates of which mites (Acari) are rarely studied, and if they are, the study is usually faunistic. The aim of the research was to determine whether the diversification of mite assemblages (Mesostigmata, Oribatida) inhabiting the fruiting bodies of Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.) P. Karst. (Polyporales) are connected with the character of the forests and/or the degree of decay (DD) of the fruiting bodies. The research was conducted at Białowieża National Park (BNP), in forests close to natural ones and in Karkonosze National Park (KNP) which was affected by a large-scale forest dieback in the 1980s. Eighty fruiting bodies (40 at each study site) of F. pinicola belonging to four DD categories were collected. In total, 4,345 individuals of 120 mite species were recorded at BNP, and 13,912 individuals of 96 species were recorded at KNP. Analyses revealed that the sample dispersion at each study site was comparable, nevertheless the samples from each study site were clearly grouped into slightly overlapping sets which allow observation of the differences between them. In the less decayed fungi (DD 1 and 2) there were fewer mite species and individual mites than in the more decayed samples (DD 3 and 4). There were also significant differences between the fauna of the fungi in each particular DD: the fauna of DD 1 differed from all others, whereas the fauna of heavily decayed fungi (DD 3 and 4) was more comparable.

Highlights

Bracket fungi play a crucial role in the forest environment, they decompose wood and contribute to the effective processing of energy and matter flow in ecosystems (Niemelä 2013)
The research conducted so far (e.g., Walter 1998; Mašán and Halliday 2016) has revealed that the fruiting bodies of bracket fungi are inhabited by invertebrates that are characteristic for this microhabitat
The analysis showed that the bracket fungi which were most similar were those from degree of decay (DD) 3 and DD 4

Summary

Introduction

Bracket fungi play a crucial role in the forest environment, they decompose wood and contribute to the effective processing of energy and matter flow in ecosystems (Niemelä 2013). Not so well studied, but highly unique microhabitat created by bracket fungi is a fruiting body, which has already been analysed for the presence of mites (Gwiazdowicz and Łakomy 2002; Maraun et al 2014), insects (Jonsell and Nordlander 2004), spiders (Pielou and Pielou 1968), or arthropods in general (Pielou and Verma 1968; O’Connell and Bolger 1997a, b). This microhabitat is characterized by the presence of species which occur solely in the fruiting body of bracket fungi, such as mites from the genus Hoploseius (e.g., Walter 1998; Gwiazdowicz 2002; Mašán and Halliday 2016), e.g., Hoploseius tenuis (Lindquist 1965, 1995) with its elongated and narrow body. Thunes and Willasen (1997) showed that the most significant variable for beetle communities was whether the inhabited fruiting body was dead or alive

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