Habitat type controls microarthropod community changes across a Magellanic sub-Antarctic elevation gradient

作者：Stef Bokhorst, Tamara Contador, Roy Mackenzie, Peter Convey, Rien Aerts · 发表于：Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fevo.2024.1440649 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Polar Research and Ecology、Marine Biology and Ecology Research、Isotope Analysis in Ecology

Introduction Elevation gradients are often used as a proxy for climate change as they allow comparisons of ecological responses over much larger temporal and spatial scales than is possible through experimental manipulations. Methods Here, we tested how microarthropod communities (Collembola and Acari) are affected by climatic differences between sea level and 600 m a.s.l. on Navarino Island, in the Magellanic sub-Antarctic ecoregion of southern Chile (mean annual temperatures of 5.6 vs 3.1°C, respectively). We quantified microarthropod abundance, richness and community trait characteristics in dominant moss ( Racomitrium lanuginosum and Polytrichum strictum ) and lichen ( Usnea trachycarpa, Pseudocyphellaria freycinetii and Stereocaulon alpinum ) vegetation growing at both elevations. These moss and lichen genera are characterized by large morphological differences and allow testing of how habitat characteristics affect microarthropod community response across elevation gradients. Results Collembola and Acari community composition differed between the low and high elevation sites. Total abundance levels of Acari were maintained in each habitat across elevation, whereas Collembola richness strongly declined (50%) at high elevation in the moss habitats. Acari community differences across elevation were driven by relative abundance changes whereas the Collembola community lost species at higher elevation. An anticipated decline of smaller eudaphic Collembola at high elevation w...