Soil meso-fauna patterns and experiments on leaf litter mite fungivory: preferences, effects on fungal reproduction and decomposition
We investigated patterns of community structure of soil meso-fauna in an tropical cloud forest. The leaf litter habitat and the actual soil below were found to support structurally different communities. Leaf litter appeared to be a complex, heterogeneous, habitat whereas soil was homogeneous. The abundance of mites and collembolans marked the main differences between leaf litter and soil, and given that a large number of species of these taxa are fungivorous their distribution patterns are discussed in relation to those factors that may determine fungal activity. In microcosmos experiments we found that a fungivorous oppid mite (Oppidae) affected the spore production of four species of fungi suggesting a shift in their combative abilities.
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Instituto de Ecología A.C.
2002
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0065-17372002000300001 |
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