Multi-Scale Altitudinal Patterns of Soil and Litter Invertebrate Communities in a Warm Temperate Deciduous Broadleaf Forest

Abstract

The diversity and spatial patterns of soil invertebrates are the cornerstones for understanding their ecological functions, which are crucial to maintaining nutrient cycling and soil health in forest ecosystems. Based on a continuous altitudinal gradient (1020–1770 m) composed of 119 plots, this study analyzed the spatial patterns of invertebrate communities in temperate mountain forest litter and soil using multi-scale ordination. The results indicate that along the altitudinal gradient, the invertebrate communities in both litter and soil layers exhibit “patches” at a scale of approximately 33 plots that are mainly composed of Mesostigmata and Apterogasterine oribatid mites. In the litter layer, at the 11-plot scale, an aggregation of Onychiuridae is also formed, while in the soil layer, there are “patches” represented by Diadocidiidae at the 33-plot scale. The positive–negative associations among invertebrate taxa also shift between the litter and soil layers, as well as among “patches”. Our study confirms that the richness of invertebrates in temperate-forest litter is higher and forms multi-scale assembly “patches” despite the higher abundance of invertebrates in the soil layer. Future studies should delve deeper into the aggregation mechanisms of these specific taxa and may require higher sampling densities to reveal the multi-scale spatial patterns of soil invertebrates.