Local patterns of edaphic mesofauna distribution in the arid Patagonian steppe, Argentina
Rosa M. Manzo
A C * , Luz M. Manzo B C , Susana Rizzuto A , M. Fernanda Valenzuela A and Pablo A. Martínez D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Evolución y Biodiversidad (LIEB-UNPSJB), Sarmiento 849, CP 9200 Esquel, Chubut, Argentina.
B Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP-UNPSJB), Roca 780, CP 9200 Esquel, Chubut, Argentina.
C Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, CP C1425FQB Buenos Aires, Argentina.
D Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3350, CP 7600 Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Soil Research 59(8) 806-818 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR20094
Submitted: 9 April 2020 Accepted: 13 May 2021 Published: 29 September 2021
© 2021 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Mesofauna represents a major component of soil biological community and play a critical role in maintaining soil quality, as well as a range of ecosystem functions. A split–split plot design was performed with the aim of identifying the main predictors (phytogeographical criteria, cover type and environmental variables) of edaphic community structure under the effect of desertification. The study also aimed to examine the spatial and seasonal distribution of mesofauna community according to phytogeographical criteria (shrubland vs grassland) and cover type (bare vs covered soil) in the north-western Patagonian steppe of Argentina. The relationship between edaphic fauna, environmental variables and site location was investigated using redundancy analysis (RDA), while the main predictors of edaphic community were analysed using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs). A total of 43 taxa of Oribatida were found in 168 samples. GLMM approaches selected cover type due to its higher effect on mesofauna community. In this sense, cover type was more important than phytogeographical criteria and environmental variables as predictor of mesofauna community. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how the distribution of mesofauna community respond in Patagonia steppe.
Keywords: acari, covered soil, degradation, grassland, microarthropods, Oribatida, predictors, shrubland.
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