Factors Affecting the Vertical Distribution of Oribatid Mites (Acari: Oribatida) in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt

Document Type : Original research articles

Author

Plant Protection Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia Egypt

Abstract

The  vertical  distribution  of  soil  oribatid  mites  and its  dependence  on ecological  parameters  such as  soil  temperature, moisture,  pH  and  organic  matter content  were studied  in  an age  sequence  of 22-year-old  Mangifera indica  L. plantations in  Ismailia,  down  to  a depth of 30 cm.  The results  showed  that  the  numbers  of  total  oribatid  mites  exhibited  a gradual decrease  trend with  depth.  The  number of oribatid  mite species  was significantly lower  in  20-30  cm  depth  than  the  tope layers  (p  <0.05).  Pergalummna flagellate Grandjean  and Oppiella nova  (Ordemans)  dominated  in  the  upper 10  cm soil and  their  numbers  strongly  decreased  with  depth. Most  of oribatid mites had an annual fluctuation  in  their abundance  and population  changes,  which  related  to  seasonal  changes  in the  temperature  and  moisture  contents  of  the soil.  Soil moisture  was positively correlated  with total  mites;  while soil  temperature  had negative  correlation.

Keywords

Main Subjects