Soil microarthropod community assembly at the micro spatial scale - A microcosm manipulation study

Abstract

Our understanding of soil microarthropod (Acari and Collembola) community assembly and dynamics is somewhat limited compared to aboveground communities. Understanding the processes involved in assembly and the spatial scales at which they occur would help answer the age old question of how so many species and individuals can coexist in soil. We use a microcosm experiment using intact soil cores to explore the processes of selection and dispersal taking place at the micro-spatial scale. We do this by manipulating available pore space and population density, which allows us to indirectly investigate the role of dispersal and biotic interactions in shaping microarthropod community dynamics. Results suggest that there are processes limiting abundance and that communities are sometimes held at abundances below those which the environment could accommodate by abiotic factors. Food and space did not appear to drive the observed patterns; however, findings suggest that abiotic factors may influence dynamics in the field.