Responses of functional and taxonomic collembolan community structure to site management in Mediterranean urban and surrounding areas

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify the physical and chemical properties of different human-mediated ecosystems (urban, peri-urban/industrial and agricultural – including forested areas as a control) and to evaluate their effects on the taxonomic and functional trait composition and microhabitat preferences of collembolan communities. Soils impacted by different types of land management were sampled in urban and surrounding areas of Naples, Italy. The physical and chemical properties of the soil were measured, and the species distribution, functional traits and microhabitat preferences of its collembolan community were characterized. The results indicated that different types of human activities markedly affect the abiotic properties of soils. We found that agricultural soils were more altered than forest soils, and that collembolan communities in agricultural soil were dominated by few species (mainly Proisotoma minuta and Entomobrya multifasciata), and that these species showed adaptations to open or disturbed environments. Instead, the collembolan communities in urban soils were comparable to those observed in forest soils. It appears that agricultural activities have a greater effect on the taxonomy and functional traits of collembolan communities than urban impact has.