TY  - JOUR
JF  - Acarologia
T1  - Structural shifts in Mesostigmata communities determined by land-use type and intensity, in the Pannonian region from Romania
VL  - 66
IS  - Suppl
SP  - 232
EP  - 232
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0044-586X
SN  - 2107-7207
PB  - Les Amis d'Acarologia
AU  - Minodora, Manu
AU  - Ioana, Vicol
AU  - Monica, Mitoi
AU  - Constantin Tiberiu, Sahlean
AU  - Diana Elena, Vadana
AU  - Cristina, Fiera
UR  - https://doi.org/10.24349/nvhf-sus0
DO  - 10.24349/nvhf-sus0
DA  - 2026-07-20
ET  - 2026-07-20
KW  - Mesostigmata
KW  - Soil
KW  - Land-use
KW  - Structure
KW  - Pannonian region
AB  - Soil Mesostigmata mites are key predators in edaphic food webs and sensitive to environmental disturbance. However, their response to land-use intensity across European pedoclimatic gradients remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates whether the structure and composition of Mesostigmata communities are shaped by land-use type and intensity in the Pannonian region of southern Romania. A total of 51 sites representing six land-use types (urban, arable land, forest, wetlands, orchards, and grasslands) and three intensities (high, medium and low) were sampled. Three plots per site were established, resulting 153 soil samples. Seven soil parameters were measured (K, P, soil organic carbon, bulk density, saturated hydraulic conductivity, pH, and soil moisture content). The statistical analyses were performed in R software (vers. 4.4.1, R Core Team 2025). We identified 42 Mesostigmata species with an overall density of 74,394 individuals m?². Forest ecosystems supported the highest species richness and abundance, whereas arable lands and orchards showed the lowest values. Low-intensity systems had the highest abundances (33,630 ind m?²), while medium-intensity systems showed peak species richness (27 species). Highly anthropized systems had reduced diversity (15 species) and density (11,719 ind m?²). Dominant species included Amblyseius stramenti, Zercon peltatus peltatus, Gaeolaelaps nolli, and Asca aphidoides, xerothermic-adapted taxa with small body size and reduced biomass. Community composition differed significantly along the land-use intensity gradient and was associated with variation in soil nutrients, carbon content, bulk density, and pH. From environmental point of view each type of ecosystems were characterized by the specifically edaphic conditions. Mesostigmata communities exhibit clear structural responses to land-use gradients, highlighting their potential as bioindicators of soil disturbance in Pannonian terrestrial ecosystems. This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under the SOB4ES project – Integrating Soil Biodiversity to Ecosystem Services(Grant Agreement No. 101112831).
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