Abundance and diversity of soil mites (acari) along a gradient of land use types in Taita Taveta, Kenya



Título del documento: Abundance and diversity of soil mites (acari) along a gradient of land use types in Taita Taveta, Kenya
Revue: Tropical and subtropical agroecosystems
Base de datos: PERIÓDICA
Número de sistema: 000372675
ISSN: 1870-0462
Autores: 1
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4
Instituciones: 1University of Nairobi, Nairobi. Kenia
2Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Nairobi. Kenia
3Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology, Uppsala. Suecia
4National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi. Kenia
Año:
Volumen: 13
Número: 1
País: México
Idioma: Inglés
Tipo de documento: Artículo
Enfoque: Experimental, analítico
Resumen en inglés The abundance and diversity of soil mites was monitored along a gradient of land use types (LUTs) during the wet seasons in soils of Taita Taveta, Kenya. Sampling of mites from soils was carried out in eight LUTs which included maize-based system (Zea mays), coffee (Coffea Arábica), horticulture, napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), fallow, pine (Pinus patula), cypress (Cypressus lusitanica), natural forest. LUT significantly influenced abundance, richness and diversity of the soil mites. During the short rains the diversity of soil mites increased in the order napier ,maize-based system, horticulture, coffee, fallow, natural forest, pine forest, cypress plantation while the long rains season abundance increased in the order maize-based system, coffee, horticulture, napier, natural forest, fallow, pine forest, cypress forest. Higher abundance, richness and diversity of the mites was observed in the less disturbed forest ecosystems unlike the agro-ecosystems, which are often disturbed with intensive cultivation A total of 37 families were recorded with 20 oribatid families, 10 mesostigmatid families and 7 prostigmatid families. The families that ranked highest in abundance across the LUT were Scheloribatidae, Oppidae (Oribatida) and Rhodacaridae (Mesostigmata). Land use type influenced significantly (P<0.05) the abundance and diversity of soil mites where intensification lowered the diversity and abundances resulting in less complex mites community structures
Disciplinas: Agrociencias,
Biología
Palabras clave: Suelos,
Quelicerados,
Acaros,
Identificación taxonómica,
Abundancia,
Biodiversidad,
Uso del suelo,
Taita Taveta,
Kenia
Keyword: Agricultural sciences,
Biology,
Soils,
Chelicerata,
Acari,
Abundance,
Biodiversity,
Land use,
Taita Taveta,
Kenya
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