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Patterns of Species Diversity in the Temperate and Tropical Litter Mites
Author(s) -
Stanton Nancy L.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1937658
Subject(s) - species richness , litter , ecology , species diversity , temperate climate , biology , plant litter , temperate rainforest , temperate forest , ecosystem
Species richness and diversity of litter mites were measured in 3 vegetative stands in Wyoming and in Costa Rica (a pine forest, a broad—leaved forest and a field) by sampling the natural litter and by experimentally manipulating the type (pine, broad—leaved and field litter) and amount (100 g dry weight/600 cm 2 plot) of litter present within each stand. Within sample species richness of the experimental plots was the same in all 4 forests (12—14 species/100 g litter) but the 2 fields supported significantly fewer species (5/100 g). In the natural forest litter, within sample richness ranged from 13 species (Costa Rica forest) to 27/600 cm 2 sample (Costa Rica pine); but again both fields were significantly less rich (4 and 6 species). Mite diversity (H') in the fields also was < the forests in both natural and experimental litter. Total within stand diversity and beta diversity were highest in the tropical forests. Also, a higher percentage of temperate species were classified as colonizers as opposed to the tropical species where the majority were noncolonizers; but tendency to colonize appears to be inversely related to the amount of litter present in a habitat.