Abstract
The study investigated the effects of grazing by geese, goats, and fallow deer on soil mites. It included a total of 360 samples collected in the spring, summer, and autumn of 2016 and 2017 in north-central Poland. Study plots were situated in three pastures grazed by geese, goats, and fallow deer, and three meadows near the pastures served as controls. All study plots were fenced. In total 22,561 mites Acari were obtained, including 15,641 Oribatida 69.3% , 4926 Mesostigmata 21.8% , and 1994 other mites 8.9% . Only the abundance of Oribatida therefore, also total Acari differed significantly in pastures grazed by different animal species. The abundance of Oribatida in the pasture vs. the corresponding meadow was higher in the case of geese, similar for fallow deer, and lower for goats. We identified a total of 21 oribatid species. The number of species did not differ significantly between the pastures and the corresponding mowed meadows, indicating that they are similarly disturbed biotopes. Eurytopic species characteristic of grasslands predominated in the study plots. The most abundant species were Platynothrus peltifer C. L. Koch, 1839 , Tectocepheus velatus Michael, 1880 , and Eupelops occultus C. L. Koch, 1835 . Platynothrus peltifer and T. velatus preferred pastures to meadows and were most abundant in th goose pasture, while Liebstadia similis Michael, 1888 and Sellnickochthonius immaculatus Forsslund, 1942 were more abundant in meadows.
Highlights
Oribatida are usually the most abundant and diverse group of mites in the soil (Walter and Proctor, 2013), and most of them are saprophagous, i.e. feed on dead organic matter (Norton and Behan-Pelletier, 2009)
Oribatida were more abundant in GP and FP pastures than in their corresponding meadows, while in GoP pasture they were 3 times less abundant than in GoM meadow
The abundance of oribatid mites in the pastures vs. the meadows showed different patterns depending on the livestock species; only in GoP was this value lower than in the corresponding meadow
Summary
Oribatida are usually the most abundant and diverse group of mites in the soil (Walter and Proctor, 2013), and most of them are saprophagous, i.e. feed on dead organic matter (Norton and Behan-Pelletier, 2009). They crush dead leaves and other parts of plants, increasing their surface area and making the invasion of microorganisms and decomposition more effective. The influence of grazing on the soil fauna depends on many factors, mainly animal weight, behavior, and hoof type (Greenwood et al, 1997; Parfitt, 2005)
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