College of Earth Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China.
PLoS One. 2018 Jun 28;13(6):e0199093. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199093. eCollection 2018.
Spatial distribution is an important topic in community ecology and a key to understanding the structure and dynamics of populations and communities. However, the available information related to the spatial patterns of soil mite communities in long-term tillage agroecosystems remains insufficient. In this study, we examined the spatial patterns of soil mite communities to explain the spatial relationships between soil mite communities and soil parameters. Soil fauna were sampled three times (August, September and October 2015) at 121 locations arranged regularly within a 400 m × 400 m monitoring plot. Additionally, we estimated the physical and chemical parameters of the same sampling locations. The distribution patterns of the soil mite community and the edaphic parameters were analyzed using a range of geostatistical tools. Moran's I coefficient showed that, during each sampling period, the total abundance of the soil mite communities and the abundance of the dominant mite populations were spatially autocorrelated. The soil mite communities demonstrated clear patchy distribution patterns within the study plot. These patterns were sampling period-specific. Cross-semivariograms showed both negative and positive cross-correlations between soil mite communities and environmental factors. Mantel tests showed a significant and positive relationship between soil mite community and soil organic matter and soil pH only in August. This study demonstrated that in the cornfield, the soil mite distribution exhibited strong or moderate spatial dependence, and the mites formed patches with sizes less than one hundred meters. In addition, in this long-term tillage agroecosystem, soil factors had less influence on the observed pattern of soil mite communities. Further experiments that take into account human activity and spatial factors should be performed to study the factors that drive the spatial distribution of soil microarthropods.
空间分布是群落生态学的一个重要课题，也是理解种群和群落结构和动态的关键。然而，有关长期耕作农业生态系统中土壤螨群落空间格局的可用信息仍然不足。在这项研究中，我们研究了土壤螨群落的空间格局，以解释土壤螨群落与土壤参数之间的空间关系。土壤动物在 2015 年 8 月、9 月和 10 月的三次（8 月、9 月和 10 月）采样期间，在一个 400 m×400 m 的监测样地内，每隔一定距离有 121 个采样点，共布置了 121 个采样点。此外，我们还估算了相同采样点的物理和化学参数。使用一系列地统计学工具分析土壤螨群落和土壤参数的分布模式。Moran's I 系数表明，在每个采样期，土壤螨群落的总丰度和优势螨种群的丰度都具有空间自相关性。土壤螨群落呈现出明显的斑块分布格局。这些模式具有采样期特异性。交叉半变异函数表明，土壤螨群落与环境因子之间存在负相关和正相关。Mantel 检验表明，仅在 8 月，土壤螨群落与土壤有机质和土壤 pH 值之间存在显著正相关关系。本研究表明，在玉米田中，土壤螨的分布表现出很强或中等的空间依赖性，并且螨形成的斑块大小小于一百米。此外，在这个长期耕作的农业生态系统中，土壤因素对观察到的土壤螨群落模式的影响较小。应该进行进一步的实验，考虑人类活动和空间因素，以研究驱动土壤微型节肢动物空间分布的因素。
