Functional ecosystem parameters: Soil respiration and diversity of mite (Acari, Mesostigmata) communities after disturbance in a Late Cambrian bedrock environment

We analyzed the changes in ecosystem functions (soil respiration and Mesostigmata mite abundance, species richness and diversity) on various habitats after flooding by highly mineralized and acidic drainage water with fine As-rich pyrite sediments, on a fragment of a natural ecosystem. In total, 177 plots that represented six types of habitats (undisturbed: pine mixed forests, Salix spp. thickets, Juncus effusus communities, wet meadows, and disturbed: bare ground and dead Salix spp. thickets) were sampled twice, in June 2019 and September 2020. Our study revealed that flooding affected essential ecosystem parameters, such as soil Mesostigmata mite abundance, species richness and diversity, and soil respiration, via an extreme decrease of soil pH. In total, 968 mites were collected from pooled data from the two samplings. Mite abundance, species richness and diversity were mainly shaped by habitat type and soil pH, and partially by soil respiration. These parameters were lower in disturbed habitats (bare ground and dead Salix spp. thickets) as compared with undisturbed ones. The highest mean mite density was recorded from mixed forests (4750 ± 600 ind. m−2) and wet meadows (2678 ± 361 ind. m−2), whereas the lowest in bare ground (449 ± 113 ind. m−2) and dead Salix spp. thickets (537 ± 146 ind. m−2). We noticed that mite diversity may be helpful to predict future changes in the physicochemical parameters of soils in disturbed areas. The vegetation patches built up by species adapted to grow in habitats characterized by relatively high metal and metalloid content (J. effusus and Salix spp.) represent an intermediate state of function of ecosystems in the study area.