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A New Species of Hypoaspisella Bernhard (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) on Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) from Greece
Description of a New Species of Cosmolaelaps Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) and New Report of Some Species of the Genus from the United States of America
Pathogens as creators of biodiversity. A study on influence of decayed bracket fungi on alpha diversity of microarthropods in the Karkonosze National Park, Poland
The Ban on Participation of Children and Teenagers in the Hunt in Poland – A Case Study of Parliamentary Law Enactment Process and its Consequences
AbstractWe are witnessing a clash of (i) biocentric or ecocentric ideologies that grant equal rights to all living creatures, with (ii) an ideology that arose on the basis of anthropocentrism that gives the palm of priority to man. Hunters who are accused of killing defenseless animals for entertainment are at the heart of this dispute. Meanwhile, hunters argue that their activity results from the need to manage game populations, thus the necessity to limit the threats to human life and health and to minimize the extent of damage to field crops or forests. In the atmosphere of such public disputes between activists and hunters, decisions are made by politicians who shape specific legal solutions. In 2018, the Hunting Law (Polish Act of 13 October 1995, Journal of Laws of 2020.) in Poland was amended and children and adolescents under 18 were banned from participating in hunting. It has aroused dissatisfaction of hunters who have taken initiatives to amend these legal provisions, e.g. a complaint to the Constitutional Tribunal, a social draft amendment to the act. The legal initiatives of hunters have been fuelling a broad social debate that often have gone beyond the scope of sustainable hunting management. The amendment has been questioned by a group of Polish MPs as infringing the constitutional right of parents to bring up and educate their children in accordance with their worldviews. Moreover, the teenagers, frequently considered as adults under numerous provisions of Polish law, have been deprived of their constitutional freedom of making decisions about their pastimes. The opponents in turn claim that under the Constitution of the Republic of Poland (Polish Act of 21 August 1997, Journal of Laws of 2020.) children must be protected against violence and cruelty. The aim of the study is to present the mechanisms of a legal, political, sociological and ideological dispute and to provide some basic insight into the Parliamentary debate and the outcome of legislation process as a result of which children have been deprived of the right to accompany their parents during hunting expeditions also in the character of passive observers. The research methods applied included the following ones: the analysis of the discourses and legislation under scrutiny in Poland and a few selected countries, and empirical observation of debates carried out in public space. The research material encompassed the recorded Parliament speeches focusing on the issue in question, legislative process, social media posts and various blogs. The assessment of the current legal solutions and the analysis of the attitudes of both parties to the dispute leads to a reflection that the problem of prohibiting the participation of children under 18 in hunting is not solved. There is a need to search for new solutions on the basis of substantive knowledge, including, inter alia, legal science or social psychology. Politicians should be aware that the emotional pressure may not and should not be the basis for law amendments.
Human and Nature: Between Destruction and Creation
The problem of interaction between man and nature throughout history is, relatively, rarely addressed by classical historiography. The session entitled Man and Nature: Between destruction and creation, organized and chaired by Prof. Tadeusz Janicki (Faculty of History, UAM, Poznań, Poland) and Prof. Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz (Department of Forest Protection, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland) on 24 August 2022 as part of the XXIII International Congress of Historical Sciences Poznań 2022, was an attempt to change this tendency and broaden the existing research perspective. The papers delivered during the occassion were the starting point for the preparation of a special issue of the journal Studia Historiae Oeconomicae (SHO), the primary purpose of which is interdisciplinary reflection by specialists from various scientific disciplines on the problem of destruction of natural landscapes and creation of cultural landscapes, along with other issues concerning the interaction between humans and the natural environment from prehistoric times to the present.This special issue of SHO consists of seven articles on diverse topics, analysing human interactions with nature through different historical periods, meanwhile taking into account their economic, civil, social and climatic conditions. The result is a multifaceted mosaic of topics that constitutes an original and interdisciplinary analysis of man’s relationship with nature, which may be a source of inspiration for readers and perhaps further research in this field.
Soil fauna drives vertical redistribution of soil organic carbon in a long‐term irrigated dry pine forest
AbstractSummer droughts strongly affect soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling, but net effects on SOC storage are unclear as drought affects both C inputs and outputs from soils. Here, we explored the overlooked role of soil fauna on SOC storage in forests, hypothesizing that soil faunal activity is particularly drought‐sensitive, thereby reducing litter incorporation into the mineral soil and, eventually, long‐term SOC storage.In a drought‐prone pine forest (Switzerland), we performed a large‐scale irrigation experiment for 17 years and assessed its impact on vertical SOC distribution and composition. We also examined litter mass loss of dominant tree species using different mesh‐size litterbags and determined soil fauna abundance and community composition.The 17‐year‐long irrigation resulted in a C loss in the organic layers (−1.0 kg C m−2) and a comparable C gain in the mineral soil (+0.8 kg C m−2) and thus did not affect total SOC stocks. Irrigation increased the mass loss ofQuercus pubescensandViburnum lantanaleaf litter, with greater effect sizes when meso‐ and macrofauna were included (+215%) than when excluded (+44%). The enhanced faunal‐mediated litter mass loss was paralleled by a many‐fold increase in the abundance of meso‐ and macrofauna during irrigation. Moreover, Acari and Collembola community composition shifted, with a higher presence of drought‐sensitive species in irrigated soils. In comparison, microbial SOC mineralization was less sensitive to soil moisture. Our results suggest that the vertical redistribution of SOC with irrigation was mainly driven by faunal‐mediated litter incorporation, together with increased root C inputs.Our study shows that soil fauna is highly sensitive to natural drought, which leads to a reduced C transfer from organic layers to the mineral soil. In the longer term, this potentially affects SOC storage and, therefore, soil fauna plays a key but so far largely overlooked role in shaping SOC responses to drought.
Redescription of Cosmolaelaps hastiger Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae), Seven New Synonymies, and the Status of Some Other Species in the Genus
Invertebrates occurring in fruiting bodies of the pathogenic tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius (Polyporales), in the different types of Polish protected forests
Bracket fungi are usually considered as a cause of economic losses, while they also offer specific microhabitats and have an impact on biodiversity. However, to date this topic has not been sufficiently studied. The aim of this article is to show how the diversity of invertebrate communities, viz. harvest spiders (Aranae, Opiliones), pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpionida), two groups of mites (Mesostigmata and Oribatida), springtails (Collembola), and insects (Insecta), inhabiting fruiting bodies of the tinder fungus, Fomes fomentarius, depend on specific characteristics of forests. Samples were collected in three locations: the Białowieża National Park (BNP) characterised by a high degree of forest naturalness, the Bieszczady National Park (BdNP), which was transformed by humans, but has been undergoing naturalisation for several decades, and the Karkonosze National Park affected by a large-scale forest dieback in the 1980s and which for years has been under strong tourist pressure. A total of 20 fruiting bodies of F. fomentarius were collected at each location. In total, 9,821 individuals of invertebrates belonging to 204 species were extracted. The most numerous group was Oribatida (6,595 individuals classified to 106 species), while the most numerous species was Carabodes femoralis (5,216 individuals). The study sites differed in the number of species (the highest one was observed in the BdNP, 115, and the lowest one in the KNP, 88) and number of individuals (the highest one was observed in BdNP, 4,285, and the lowest one in BNP, 1,595), as well as the number of individuals per species (the highest one was observed in the BdNP, 37.26 individuals per 1 species, and the lowest in the BNP, 15.79 individuals per 1 species). A NMDS analysis revealed that the inner distribution of the samples in each of the locations was similar in the case of mountain national parks (BdNP and KNP), while the invertebrate groupings from the BNP and KNP differed the most between one another. The multilevel pattern analysis showed different, specific invertebrate species for each study sites, e.g. Carabodes subarcticus for the BNP, Friesea mirabilis for the BdNP, Oribatella calcarata for the KNP and Dendrolaelaps pini for both mountain national parks. This study shows the uniqueness of invertebrate communities inhabiting fruiting bodies of F. fomentarius and confirms the positive role of this pathogenic fungi in shaping biodiversity. Key words: arthropods; bracket fungi; polypores; anthropopressure; natural forest
A redescription of Hypogastrura gisini Strenzke, 1954 (Collembola: Hypogastruridae) and description of a new related species from Crete (Greece)
Factors influencing the diversity and distribution of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes on the relict tree Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss. (Ulmaceae)
AbstractTrees have a crucial importance in the functioning of ecosystems on Earth. They are among the largest and longest-living taxa and provide habitat and shelter to numerous species belonging to diverse groups of organisms. Relict trees are of particular interest through their history of survival and adaptation, and because they potentially shelter rare or threatened organisms today. We investigated for the first time the diversity and distribution of epiphytic lichens and bryophytes found on the Cretan (Greek) endemic and relict phorophyte Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae). Our results showed that Z. abelicea hosts a high number of epiphytes. The Levka Ori mountain range in western Crete seems to be a hot spot for epiphytic lichens on Z. abelicea. Bryophytes had the highest diversity on Mt Kedros in central Crete but were absent from several other sites. Moreover, 17% of the studied lichens were recorded for the first time for Crete and 5% have never been recorded for Greece. Geographical position and browsing intensity seem to be important factors influencing the epiphytic community encountered. Tree morphology (dwarfed or arborescent) was also significant in influencing community composition although it was not possible to dissociate this factor from the effect of topography. Dwarfed individuals were found to have as much epiphytic diversity as arborescent trees. Ecological indicator values showed that high epiphytic diversity was found in some sites despite signs of eutrophication and disturbance due to pastoral activities and suggest the co-occurrence of both disturbance tolerant and sensitive species. Our results show how little is known about the biodiversity of Cretan phorophytes and highlights the need for further research on the topic.
New Record of the Rare Phytoseiid Mite (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) from Poland and Description of Unknown Male
The Diversity of Arachnid Assemblages on the Endemic Tree Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae): An Evaluation of Fragmentation and Connectivity in Crete (Greece)
Zelkova abelicea is an endemic tree growing only on eight mountain stands on the Greek island of Crete. The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the assemblages and analyze the diversity of the arachnid assemblages living on Zelkova abelicea, an endemic tree species in Crete. Material for the analyses was collected from tree trunks, oftentimes covered by bryophytes or lichens. In the examined material, 85 taxa were recorded. The most numerous groups represented in the analyzed material were Acari, including representatives of the orders Mesostigmata (78 ind. of 18 spp.) and Oribatida (1056 ind. of 51 spp.). In the order Mesostigmata the species represented by the highest numbers of specimens were Onchodellus karawaiewi (15 individuals) and Hypoaspisella sp. (13), which is probably a species new to science. In turn, representatives of the order Oribatida were much more numerous, with Zygoribatula exilis (284) and Eremaeus tuberosus (210) being identified in the largest numbers. Among the eight sampled localities, Gerakari (646 ind. and 50 spp.) and Omalos (409 ind. and 43 spp., respectively) had by far the richest assemblages. Statistical analyses confirmed the highly diverse character of the arachnid assemblages at the individual sites, which is a consequence not only of the varied numbers of arachnids found, but also of the presence of very rare species, such as Androlaelaps shealsi, Cosmolaelaps lutegiensis or Hoploseius oblongus. These results highlight the high species diversity of the arachnids found on Z. abelicea but also suggest the lack of connectivity between the isolated and fragmented forest stands on Crete.
Impact of Biogenic Structures of the Soil-Nesting Ants Lasius niger and Lasius flavus on the Soil Microarthropod Community in Urban Green Spaces
Organisms that physically modify their environment, known as ecosystem engineers, can influence resource availability, species interactions and the structure of soil communities. However, the specific effect of ecosystem engineers like ants on the abundance and diversity of non-engineering soil organisms remains understudied. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a survey of a multi-taxon belowground community of soil microarthropods—Collembola, Mesostigmata, Oribatida and Actinedida—in urban areas, comparing nest mounds of the ant species Lasius niger and Lasius flavus with areas without ant-nesting activity (control). We hypothesised differences in abundance and distribution patterns of different soil microarthropod taxa between ant mounds and the control soil. We also hypothesised that ant-induced soil disturbance is species-specific, and may result in different patterns of diversity and composition of soil microarthropod assemblages within trophic levels, such as among detritivores (e.g., Collembola) and predators (e.g., Mesostigmata). Our results reveal how ecological filters shape different soil microarthropod groups’ responses to ant-driven changes in their environment. As we expected, soil disturbance caused by ant nest-building activity significantly influenced the abundance, distribution patterns and diversity of soil microarthropods, especially in the assembly of detritivorous—but not predatory—guilds of soil microarthropods.
Microhabitat Selectivity of Mites (Acari) in a Natural Lowland Beech Forest (Melico-Fagetum) in Wronie Reserve (Poland)
The European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is a tree species common throughout Europe, with the eastern boundary of its range extending across Poland. Samples were collected in several microhabitats of beech stands (e.g., leaf litter, rotting wood, moss growing on tree stumps) in the Wronie Forest Reserve. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of microhabitat conditions found in beech forests on the diversity of mite assemblages and their species richness. The collected samples comprised a total of 144 identified species (78 species of Oribatida, 66 species of Mesostigmata), represented by 74,433 mite individuals (71,124 Oribatida and 3309 Mesostigmata). All the analyzed microhabitats varied in terms of their mite assemblages. The highest number of species was identified in moss on beech stumps (72 species—53 Oribatida and 19 Mesostigmata) and in samples collected from beech litter (68 species—48 Oribatida and 20 Mesostigmata). The most numerously represented species in the analyzed material was Parachipteria willmanni, which was classified to superdominants in moss on beech stumps and moss on beech trunks (0.5 and 2.0 m), which were the most similar microhabitats. In contrast, mite assemblages in rotting wood and marsh litter differed greatly.
On the terrestrial and freshwater invertebrate diversity of the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard: a revised species inventory and synopsis of the community composition
Arctic terrestrial invertebrate biodiversity is generally poorly known, but the archipelago of Svalbard has one of the most up-to-date inventories of its terrestrial and freshwater faunas of any Arctic region, offering a baseline for long term monitoring of invertebrate communities in space and time. Since the most recent review of the Svalbard invertebrate fauna was produced in 2014, knowledge of this fauna has developed and this inventory is here critically revised and updated. Our aims are (1) to critically review the inventory based on current taxonomic knowledge, (2) publish the complete species inventory, including cross-referencing to the relevant publications, in an open access data archive (GBIF), and (3) highlight the particular advantages that working in Svalbard may bring for scientists working on terrestrial, freshwater, and cryospheric environments. The inventory contains a total 1091 valid species names or interim names. A gap analysis in the Barcode of Life Data Systems reveals that 50% of the species currently documented from Svalbard lack COI (Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) barcode reference sequences in this database. Gaps in our knowledge of the Svalbard fauna and how these may be resolved are discussed.
Four new species of mites in Ologamasiphis and Holzmannia genera, and a new Juvaria subgenus defined (Parasitiformes: Parasitidae)
The present study proposes the restructuring of Ologamasiphis genus (family Parasitidae) comprising two subgenera Ologamasiphis s. s. and Holzmannia Juvara-Balş, 2002, to have the respective subgenera elevated to the genus level, as well as to have the brand-new Juvaria subgenus created within the Holzmannia genus. The proposed restructuring is based on two newly described species belonging to the genus Holzmannia and subgenus Juvaria n. subgen., to wit Holzmannia (Juvaria) pilosa n. sp. and Holzmannia (Juvaria) silvestris n. sp. Furthermore, two new species belonging to Ologamasiphis genus are described: Ologamasiphis setosus n. sp. and Ologamasiphis zelkovae n. sp. Pertinent modification of the existing key to the Parasitidae genera by Hrúzová and Fenďa (2018) is also supplied.
