Soil microhabitat diversity of a temperate Norway spruce (Picea abies) forest does not influence the community composition of gamasid mites (Gamasida, Acari)

The aim of this study is to test if the community of gamasid mites (Gamasina and Uropodina) prefers some natural microhabitats (decayed stumps, moss cushions, spruce needles, etc.) of the spruce forest floor, and if there is a characteristic assemblage of gamasid species in particular habitat patches. Some microhabitats like moss cushions, branches, decayed stumps, moss on decayed stumps, spruce needles and a soil horizon show higher gamasid abundance and number of species than, e.g. decaying cones or humus layer material. However, distinct communities, which inhabit specific microhabitats, are not found. The explanation is suggested to lie in the predatory mite life strategy of dominant species: they are highly mobile, hardly ever observed in aggregations and as predators, not directly dependant on patchily distributed resources.