Springtail Assemblages Research Articles

Alpine blooming of “snow fleas”: the importance of snow for Alpine springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) ecology and biodiversity

Springtails can occur in large populations on the snow surface. This peculiar habitat hosts specialized winter-active springtails living in colonies and using this seasonal habitat for feeding, effective dispersal and migration. Snow-active species have never been studied in Southern European Alps: the aim of this work is to study snow-active springtails of Adamello-Brenta Nature Park (“PNAB”; Italy), a peripheral mountain range of relevant biogeographic interest using integrative taxonomy. Springtail “bloomings” were sampled for 17 months by an environmental assistant of the park. Nine assemblages of springtails were found when temperatures were higher than 0 °C; eight were monospecific, with a total of five species found. The snow-active springtail fauna found includes both common Central-Northern European nival species like Desoria hiemalis (first record for Italy, although genetically differentiated from Northern Alps populations), Ceratophysella sigillata (known in Italy mainly from caves) and three species likely new to science (Hypogastrura cf. kelmendica sp1, Hypogastrura cf. kelmendica sp2, H. cf. peloponnesica, all belonging to the Hypogastrura socialisgroup). Snow is an important ephemeral habitat for springtails, for the biodiversity hosted and for its importance as an ecological corridor. We could hypothesize that snow, especially in peripheral mountain chains, acts as a fragmentary ephemeral habitat for those cold-adapted springtails. This could constitute a relevant aspect to take into consideration for conservation biology, especially in the context of the ongoing climate change. On the other hand, the Alpine chain probably acts as an ecological barrier for nival species, since isolated species and populations were found in PNAB.Graphical

THE FORMATION OF SPRINGTAIL ASSEMBLAGES (HEXAPODA, COLLEMBOLA) ALONG A RETREATING TSEY GLACIER, NORTH OSSETIA – ALANIA

Successional changes in springtail communities were studied along a retreating Tsey Glacier at 2336 to 2071 m a.s.l. Springtails were collected from 10 sites of different ages ranging from 1 to 170 years. The sites covered the main stages of surface overgrowth, from a bare ground through a grassy-shrub stage to mixed and then mature pine forests. Springtails appeared already during the first year after the glacier’s retreat and were represented by a species of the genus Desoria, a peculiar inhabitant of bare rocky-sandy soils. During the first 7–14 years of succession, rapid changes in population and species composition repeatedly occurred. Both abundance and species diversity of springtails sharply increased at the grassy-shrub stage (14 years) and reached their maximum at later ones. Starting with this intermediate stage, springtail assemblages were primarily composed of widespread generalists belonging to euedaphic and hemiedaphic life forms. Beginning from this point, the pace of succession gradually slowed down. Approximately 100 years since, springtail communities reached a level of diversity similar to that found in mature mountain forest communities in the region. However, their species composition and structure remained quite distinctive. A comparison with similar foreign studies showed the composition of periglacial springtail communities to exhibit high-level regional specificity.

Investigating the Assemblages of Two Groups of Collembola (Strong Furca and Weak Furca) under Different Agricultural Management Systems, Northeastern China

Agriculture itself has been considered one of the leading reasons for biodiversity loss because of the huge quantity of land dedicated to just this activity, and agricultural intensification has impacted soil organisms at several taxonomic levels. Soil biota is a vital component of the agricultural system, providing essential ecosystem services while also having synergistic impacts on crop yield. Preservation of their diversity becomes a major element of an agricultural sustainability strategy. Many studies focused on agricultural activities’ effects on soil organisms, but few of them have focused on their effects on the co-occurrence patterns of their communities. Collembola communities are frequently employed as a substitute for soil organisms; thus, as a surface-dwelling arthropods representative, we investigated assemblages of soil Collembola in reaction to the arrangement of 6 treatments varying in crop rotation (MC: monoculture (corn) vs. CS: corn–soybean rotation) and tillage types (MP: mould ploughing; RT: ridge tillage; and NT: no-tillage). We hypothesized that Collembola communities with strong furca would respond well to the agricultural practices than those with weak furca, and there would be strong co-occurrence between species of Collembola communities belonging to the treatments with less intensity of soil disturbance and more variation in crop rotation. Our study found no clear evidence of a beneficial effect of crop rotation on Collembola communities. Although Collembola with strong furca shows higher abundances in plots with mold plowing, weak furca abundances were not showing any difference (differences in abilities to move fast from harsh habitats could be the reason for different responses of these two groups). Network analysis revealed that Collembola assemblages seem to occur more responsive to tillage intensity than crop rotation. Network graphs of treatments with ridge tillage are significantly more clustered than all others. For the first time, we can show that assemblages of springtails in agriculture were distinguished by a pattern of co-occurrence alongside agricultural practices (crop rotation, soil tillage), showing variations in the disturbance of soil and soil nutrients. Our results, contrary to our expectations, demonstrated that the effects of agricultural activities on Collembola abundance and diversity could be weak after long-term application of the same treatment, but still, they will clearly affect the bonds between Collembola species by affecting their co-occurrence pattern in Collembola communities.

Detangling ecosystem services: Open-field manipulation of soil-dwelling microarthropods provides new opportunities to investigate their effects on nitrogen cycling.

Soil microarthropods have a pivotal role in soil nitrogen cycling in that they affect microbial decomposers. A high abundance of microarthropods may increase the mobility of inorganic nitrogen ions in the soil, mainly in nitrogen‐limited habitats. However, it is difficult to study ecological processes with small‐sized, soil‐dwelling arthropods. The effects of soil microarthropods on nitrogen cycling have mainly been studied in laboratory microcosm experiments. Therefore, we face many practical issues in investigating these effects under field conditions that remain to be resolved.We developed an open‐field mesocosm setup with growing plants. In a two‐part experiment, spring wheat and grass species were grown in chernozem and sandy soils. Leached ammonium and nitrate ions were measured with percolation lysimeters. Half of the mesocosms included natural assemblages, and the other half included less abundant Acari and Collembola assemblages. The application of nitrogen fertilization assured differences in nitrogen sources.We found a large difference in ammonium and nitrate leaching between the two soil types. In chernozem soil, the leached ion concentrations were higher in mesocosms with more abundant mite and springtail assemblages. The expected patterns were less pronounced in sandy soil. Adding nitrogen fertilizer did not modify the effects of soil microarthropods.Open‐field mesocosms are promising for studying the role of soil‐dwelling mesofauna in ecological processes. We solved the problem of keeping mesofauna abundance lower in treated plots than that in control plots. Plants successfully grew in our semi‐closed systems with functioning percolation lysimeters. The use of the equipment in the experiments in this study helped reveal that the role of soil‐dwelling microarthropods in nitrogen cycling depends on the soil type and not on the application of nitrogen fertilizer.

Collembola (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) Assemblages in the Canopy and Forest Floor along an Elevational Gradient at Mt. Makiling, Philippines

Patterns of distribution and diversity of springtails along an elevational gradient in the canopy and forest floor of Mt. Makiling, Philippines were determined, this being the first study conducted on springtail diversity along an elevational gradient and also the first published report of canopy arthropods in the Philippines. Springtails were extracted from soil samples from the floor and those suspended in the canopy of three natural forests at different elevations (tropical lowland evergreen rainforest, lower montane rainforest, and tropical upper montane forest). We predict that elevation and forest strata will have significant effects on the springtail assemblages. A total of 2,287 springtails representing 31 morpho-species and eight families were collected from the study. Across the elevation gradient, mean species richness and mean abundance consistently decrease as elevation increases, but only the mean abundance of the lowland forest is significantly different from that of the lower and upper montane forests. Diversity t-test (p-values less than 0.05) revealed significant differences between different sites and strata. Clustering analysis using the Bray-Curtis similarity index revealed separate groupings of the lowland forests to those of the montane forests. Lastly, the results of PERMANOVA showed that both elevation and strata were found to have significant effects on the overall assemblage of springtails. This study suggests that forest floor species assemblages are closely related to each other unlike those of the canopy, where only the upper montane and lower montane are similar. The results of this study affirm our main hypothesis that springtails (as a group) respond significantly to both elevation and strata in a tropical forest in the Philippines.

Arthropod biodiversity patterns point to the Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS) as a climate refugium

The determinants of biodiversity patterns in the subterranean habitat called Mesovoid Shallow Substratum (MSS) are not well-understood. In this study, thirty-three scree slopes at high altitudes were selected across the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in central Spain to investigate the effect of ten environmental variables on the abundance and species diversity of the spider and springtail assemblages from the colluvial MSS. In each locality, a multiperforated PVC tube with a pitfall trap inside was buried up to 1 m deep, and generalized linear models and Mantel tests were used to analyze the effect of mainly climate- and habitat-related variables on the diversity patterns of both taxa. A total of 1143 individual spiders belonging to 54 species and 40 811 springtail individuals belonging to 62 species were collected. The analyses indicated that cold temperatures and the presence of forest cover on the surface significantly enhance richness and abundance in the two taxa. Environmental similarity also had a small positive effect on faunistic similarity. However, the effects of temperature and habitat detected on spider richness and abundance were stronger than on springtails, whereas the reverse was found regarding faunistic similarity. These results indicate that subterranean dwellers respond differently to the same environmental factors, which in turn, points to a different degree of affinity for the MSS. The MSS plays an important role in the survival of high mountain arthropod species, acting as a climate refuge, so the protection of this habitat should be prioritized.

Hexapod decomposers of Serra de Santa Catarina, Paraíba, Brazil: an area with high potential for conservation of Caatinga biodiversity

Abstract: In detritus-based trophic systems, springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites consume and fragment organic matter and control populations of decomposer microorganisms, exerting a strong influence on energy and nutrient fluxes. A faunal inventory of these four groups of hexapods was performed in Serra de Santa Catarina (SSC), an area of arboreal-shrub caatinga located in the state of Paraíba, with the purpose of characterizing the assemblages of these taxa, and highlighting their unique links to the local ecosystem. Samplings were performed in May, 2014, and April, 2015, both during the rainy season. Standard sampling protocols for biodiversity inventory of the various taxa were used, including both active and passive sampling methods. In general, 114 species of hexapods were captured, with 26 species of springtails, 20 dung beetles, 30 saprophagous calyptrate flies and 38 termites, with sampling sufficiency varying from 69.5 to 96.8% of total estimated richness. Species richness of the groups are among the highest recorded for a single area of Caatinga, with some taxa being recorded for the first time for the domain. Several morphospecies had indeterminate taxonomic status, especially springtails and termites, and are quite likely new species to science. The structure of the assemblages of springtails, dung beetles, saprophagous calyptrate flies and termites recorded in SSC, suggest that this conserved area is unique within the highly impacted landscape of Caatinga, and has great potential for the conservation of biodiversity of this domain in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

The influence of vegetation and soil properties on springtail communities in a diesel-contaminated soil

Soil health is important for the functioning of all terrestrial ecosystems, but may be impacted by contamination. Soil contamination may in turn necessitate rehabilitation and remediation works, but many of the techniques currently used cause physical disturbance to the soil structure, which may in itself affect soil assemblages. An understanding of the relative influence of these two types of disturbance on soil biota is needed to inform in situ remediation activities. Subantarctic Macquarie Island provides an ideal location to study these interactions because soil biodiversity is naturally low and a number of diesel spills have undergone active in situ remediation in recent years. In this study, soil cores were collected in triplicate from 21 locations. Springtails were extracted and identified to genus/species level. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations were measured at the surface and at 0.5m depth at each site, as was vegetation coverage and a range of soil properties. The relationships between these data were examined using distance-based linear models.Together, all environmental variables (vegetation and soil properties) explained a total of 76% of the variation in springtail assemblages. Soil properties alone accounted for 52% of the variation in springtail assemblages, of which bulk density was most important followed by soil conductivity and pH. Vegetation cover by the four plant taxa accounted for 34% of variation observed, with Leptinella plumosa and Poa foliosa having the greatest influence. Surface and underlying TPH concentration did not have a significant effect on springtail assemblages. Overall, factors that can be linked to physical soil disturbance had greater influence over springtail assemblages than did soil contamination. This finding may influence the selection of the most appropriate contaminant management approach for environmentally sensitive sites.

Saproxylic springtails (Collembola) of the Wigry National Park

AbstractFaunistic and ecological studies on saproxylicCollembolaspecies were carried out in the Wigry National Park (NE Poland). Nine sites representingTilio-Carpinetum,Serratulo-PinetumandPeucedano-Pinetumhabitats each including three different levels of disturbance were visited twice in 2015. Samples from fallen logs in different stages of decay, neighboring litter and soil as well as arboreal epiphytes were taken on each visit. TheCollembolaspecimens were then extracted using Tullgren funnels resulting in a total of 73 838 specimens from 270 samples. Specimen identification revealed the occurrence of 63 species, including 5 saproxylobiontic, 7 saproxylophilous, 4 xerophilous species living in epiphytic mosses and lichens as well as 47 hemiedaphic or euedaphic species. This composition of saproxylic fauna seems to be typical for the region with the most diverse assemblages being found inTilio-Carpinetumhabitats, whileSerratulo-PinetumandPeucedano-Pinetumare clearly less diverse. Additionally, a slight decrease in the number ofCollembolaspecies with increasing forest disturbance was observed. Furthermore, an increase in the number ofCollembolaspecies with the degree of dead wood decomposition was also found. This indicates that saproxylic springtail assemblages are sensitive to anthropogenic changes.

The response of springtails to fire in the fynbos of the Western Cape, South Africa

Although fire is a natural form of disturbance in many ecosystems, the frequency of fires is increasing due to human activities. Hence, understanding the impacts of fire on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning has become increasingly important. In this study we investigated the effects of a large-scale fire on an important soil-dwelling group, springtails (Collembola), one year before and for three consecutive years after a fire in the fire-prone fynbos ecosystem in South Africa. In particular, we investigate the resistance of the springtail assemblages (i.e. their ability to remain relatively unchanged in the face of a disturbance), and their resilience (i.e. ability to return to a pre-disturbance state). To do this we sampled two sites with contrasting vegetation (Erica and Protea) and used three different standardized litter types in litterbag traps. A total of 35 springtail species from 31 genera and 14 families was found. The springtail assemblages in this fynbos system showed slightly more resistance to fire than resilience after the fire event, though substantial variation was found among vegetation types. Mean species richness and abundance per litterbag varied among the Protea and Erica sites, with resistant species being dominant in the Erica site, while species that showed an increase after the fire were dominant in the Protea site. Differences were also found between life forms: atmobiotic (free-living in vegetation) and epiedaphic (surface dwelling) species showed a significant decline in mean species richness directly after the fire in the Erica site. Euedaphic (soil-dwelling) species richness remained unchanged post-fire in the Erica site, while actually slightly increasing after the fire in the Protea site. Although the fynbos springtail assemblages had not fully recovered to pre-fire abundance after three years, many species appear to be resistant to or recover rapidly after fires, at least as ascertained over the relatively short (four years) duration of the study. It is likely that this response is influenced by the presence of suitable refugia within sites and by species-specific traits. Given changing fire regimes and the increasing frequency of fires due to human disturbances, the system will likely become more dominated by resistant springtail species preferring nutrient rich circumstances and easily decomposed litters.

Springtail (Collembola) assemblages along an elevational gradient in Australian subtropical rainforest

AbstractSpringtails are one of the most abundant groups of arthropods inhabiting soil and litter substrates within rainforest ecosystems, making significant contributions to ecological processes such as decomposition. The aim of this study is to assess the potential sensitivity of springtail assemblages to climate change by presenting some of the first data on the elevation stratification of springtail assemblages in subtropical rainforest. A standardised sampling protocol was used to compare the assemblages of families and species of springtails living within leaf‐litter at three elevations in continuous rainforest in south‐east Queensland, Australia. Leaf‐litter was collected and springtails extracted from four replicate plots at approximately 700, 900 and 1100 m a.s.l. on two sampling occasions (January 2008 and December 2008). Environment variables (elevation of plots, tree species richness, composition and basal area, soil temperature and moisture and a range of physical and chemical properties of the soil) that may correlate with springtail distributions were incorporated into the analyses.Springtail assemblages showed clear elevation patterns, despite some differences between the two sampling occasions. Springtail assemblages characteristic of different elevations particularly when examined at a finer taxonomic resolution (species compared with family‐level identification) were identified. Plot elevation (m a.s.l.) correlated most strongly with patterns in springtail species assemblages, but was also highly correlated with several other environmental factors. The results indicate that springtails, as a group, respond strongly to the physico‐chemical and/or biological changes that occur with increasing elevation, even over a relatively small elevation range, demonstrating that they have potential as monitoring targets as forests experience climate change.

Formation of springtail (Collembola) communities during colonization of ant-hills

Formation of springtail assemblages in resettled nests of the ant Formica aquilonia was studied. The species composition and relative abundance of springtails was shown to depend on the age, hydrothermal regime, and condition of the ant nest. The abundance and species diversity of springtails increases during the initial period of the ant-hill growth. Old nests are characterized by the minimum species diversity, with one or two distinct dominants. High ecological plasticity, including resistance to high temperatures and low humidity, allows Lepidocyrtus violaceus to maintain its stable dominant position in the ant-hills. Species with relatively narrow hygro-and thermopreferenda quickly occupy temporal favorable niches, reach high abundance, and quickly disappear as the microclimatic conditions change.