Pedosphere 25(6): 811--824, 2015
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2015 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Composition and spatial distribution of soil mesofauna along an elevation gradient on the north slope of the Changbai Mountains, China |
JIANG Yun-Feng1,2, YIN Xiu-Qin1,3 and WANG Fu-Bin1 |
1College of Geography Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024 (China)
2College of Tourism and Geography Sciences, Jilin Normal University, Siping 136000 (China)
3Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Changchun 130024 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| The Changbai Mountains, located in northeastern China, show clear vertical zonation of vegetation types. Six different habitats, namely Pinus koraiensis mixed broad-leaved forest, Pinus koraiensis-Picea forest, spruce-fir forest, Betula ermanii forest, alpine meadow and alpine semi-desert, at elevations ranging from 780 to 2 480 m, covering almost all ecosystems on the north slope of the Changbai Mountains, were investigated to determine: i) whether or not the community composition of soil mesofauna varied significantly at different elevations; ii) if different soil mesofauna groups would respond differently to elevation and iii) which factors influenced the spatial distribution of soil mesofauna along elevation. Soil mesofauna were collected from each habitat in spring (May), summer (July) and autumn (September) of 2009. The soil mesofauna communities were comprised of at least 44 groups and were dominated by Acari and Collembola, followed by Coleoptera, Diptera larvae and Enchytraeidae. The composition, diversity and abundance of soil mesofauna varied among the six habitats. Meanwhile, significant seasonal variations were observed in the composition, abundance and diversity of the soil mesofauna in each habitat. The taxonomic richness and Shannon index were affected by elevation and soil properties, while the abundance was only significantly affected by soil properties. With regard to taxa, the habitats and seasons had significant effects on almost all the abundances of the major taxonomic groups. The abundance of more taxonomic groups was significantly influenced by the soil properties, while those of Geophilomorpha, Araneae and other taxa were affected by elevation. It is concluded that the composition and spatial distribution of the soil mesofauna varied along the elevation gradient on the north slope of the Changbai Mountains, which might be largely related to the variations of the plant community, soil properties and climate change resulting from the elevation gradient. |
| Key Words: abundance, community composition, diversity, environmental factors, taxonomic group |
| Citation: Jiang, Y. F., Yin, X. Q. and Wang, F. B. 2015. Composition and spatial distribution of soil mesofauna along an elevation gradient on the north slope of the Changbai Mountains, China. Pedosphere. 25(6): 811-824. |
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