TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Characteristics of selected mite taxa (Acari, Mesostigmata) in post-fire Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.)
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 247
EP  - 247
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Cezary, Urbanowski
AU  - Jacek, Malica
AU  - Anna, Wierzbicka
AU  - Maciej, Skorupski
AU  - Jacek, Kamczyc
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/owle-ft8y
DO  - 10.24349/owle-ft8y
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Biological diversity
KW  - Forest wildfires
KW  - Mesostigmata
KW  - Mite ecology
KW  - Soil recovery
AB  - Post-fire soils differ markedly from undisturbed soils, as the organic matter content, the air and water conditions in the topsoil change. The temperature, humidity and soil structure affects soil invertebrates, which may lead to transformations in many soil processes, including trophic interactions. Our knowledge of fire-disturbed areas colonisation by invertebrates, including Mesostigmata, is still limited despite their important role in soil-forming processes. The study was carried out in June 2025 in the Notecka Forest, Western Poland. Fifteen mature, pure pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) that had been burnt over a five-year period (2020–2024) were chosen. In each stand, burnt and control plots were selected, from which three soil samples were collected. Soil fauna, including Mesostigmata, was isolated, the developmental stage and taxonomic classification of the mesostigmatid individuals were determined. Overall, mesostigmatid communities were dominated by Zercon peltatus, Paragamasus vagabundus, P. conus, Z. zelawaiensis, Z. triangularis, Hypoaspis (Geolaelaps) aculeifer, Paragamasus spp., Amblyseius spp., Veigaia nemorensis, and H. praesternalis. Overall, control sites tended to support higher dominant taxa abundances compared with burned sites, particularly for Zercon peltatus and Paragamasus vagabundus. Burned sites showed increased abundance of certain taxa such as Hypoaspis aculeifer and Paragamasus conus, especially three years post-fire. In control sites, Zercon peltatus consistently exhibited the highest abundance, reaching a mean of 2.89±0.90 individuals/sample three years post-fire, followed by Paragamasus vagabundus, which peaked at 3.00±1.20 in the same time. Paragamasus conus also maintained relatively high densities across studied period, with a maximum mean of 2.33±1.03 ind. in burned sites three years post-fire. Zercon zelawaiensis and were moderately abundant, showing occasional peaks in control sites (1.11±0.73 and 0.78±0.43 ind., respectively). Furthermore, Hypoaspis aculeifer displayed marked differences between studied sites, being generally more abundant in burned sites, particularly three years post-fire (2.11±0.70 ind.), whereas its abundance in control sites remained low. Moreover, Veigaia nemorensis occurred sporadically at low to moderate abundance, with slightly higher values in control sites. Mesostigmatid instars abundance was higher in control than in burned sites, particularly for females. The largest differences were observed one year since wildfire (2024), when all instars were less abundant in the burned site. In some cases, however, juveniles were relatively numerous in burned areas, especially three and four years post-fire, which may indicate ongoing soil and mesostigmatid recovery several years after disturbance.
ER -