Case of Soil Mites (Acari) from Côte D’Ivoire
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Journal of Animal &Plant Sciences, 2016. Vol.29, Issue 2: 4622-4637 Publication date 1/07/2016, http://www.m.elewa.org/JAPS ; ISSN 2071-7024 Microarthropod use as bioindicators of the environmental state: case of soil mites (Acari) from Côte d’Ivoire. Julien Kouadio N’Dri 1* , Thierry Hance 2, Henri Marc André 3, Jan Lagerlöf 4, Jérôme 1 Ebagnérin Tondoh 1 UFR des Sciences de la Nature/Centre de Recherche en Ecologie, Université Nangui Abrogoua 02 BP 801 Abidjan 02, Côte d’Ivoire 2 Université Catholique de Louvain, Biodiversity Research Center, Earth and Life Institute, Place Croix du Sud 4, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. 3 Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale, Leuvensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Tervuren, Belgium. 4 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Dept. of Ecology, P.O.Box 7044, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. * Corresponding author: [email protected] Keywords: Mite, forest, savannah, disturbance, indicator species. 1 SUMMARY The aim of this study was to identify biological indicators of soil state under four agrosystem types. Therefore, Lamto savannah (SOM-poor sites), Oume primary forest (SOM-rich sites), Oume teak plantation (SOM-less sites) situated in Sudanese domain and Tai primary forest (SOM-moderate sites) localized in Guinean domain (Ivory Coast) were sampled twice during one year. The Indval software was used to identify the indicator species, through two analyses. The first analysis separated level 1- climatic zones (Guinean vs. Sudanese), level 2- localities (Oumé vs. Lamto vs. Taï), level 3-segregated sites depending on the level of disturbance: A second analysis opposes litter dwelling to mineral soil dwelling mites. The results revealed that only one species was dominant and ubiquitous, particularly Afrotrachytes sp.1 whereas three species, respectively Rhysoglyphus sp.1, Dendracarus sp.1 and Acaridae sp.4 were dominant and specialist. Chemical elements Corg (g/kg), C tot (%), N tot (%), and SOM (g/kg) was higher in forest than in savannah and teak plantation. Dwelling mite indicator species characterizing the Guinean domain (Taï primary forest / undisturbed site) were highly different to those observed in Sudanese domain (disturbed sites). If the four sites were considered and distinguished between microhabitats, the essential species indicators were found in Oume primary forest where a moderate disturbance was observed. However, a lower number of indicator species were found in Oume teak plantation, characterized by a high disturbance. The value of Oribatida-Actinedida ratio ranged from 3.95 in teak plantation to 52.28 in Oume primary forest. 2 INTRODUCTION Value of biodiversity conservation has been developed to measure the biological diversity recognized worldwide (Bonn and Gaston, 2005; (Shannon, 1962; Pielou, 1969; Whittaker, 1972); Humphrey, 2005), notably because the erosion of however, they present some bias such as biodiversity elements can cause impoverished overestimating or underestimating the role of rare ecosystem functioning (Mertz et al., 2007). species. In that context, Dufrêne and Legendre However, biodiversity indicators are still needed (1997) renewed the notion of indicators by to assess changes due to ecosystems management combining the relative abundance of a species and global change. Several indices have been with its relative frequency of occurrence in 4622 Journal of Animal &Plant Sciences, 2016. Vol.29, Issue 2: 4622-4637 Publication date 1/07/2016, http://www.m.elewa.org/JAPS ; ISSN 2071-7024 defined groups of sites. This approach seems richness, trophic groups, functional groups), and particularly sound for monitoring of soil characteristics of the biological process ecosystem changes and biodiversity conditions (bioaccumulation, soil modification). From this because its cost-effective, indicators are easily and point of view, mites or others soil reliably identified, the indicators represent eco- microarthropods species and species assemblages functionally important species, and respond offer several advantages for assessing the quality differently to disturbance regimes (Pearce and of soil ecosystems (Behan-Pelletier, 1999; Parisi et Venier, 2006; Guéi and Tondoh, 2012). Many al., 2005; Gulvik, 2007; Gergócs & Hufnagel, definitions have been attributed to the notion of 2009; Proctor et al., 2011; Sabbatini-Peverieri et indicators (Maleque et al., 2009). Nevertheless, the al., 2011; Zhao et al., 2013). Most soil mites live in biological indicators are recognized as being the organic horizons, play an essential role in organisms or communities of organisms which organic matter decomposition but also represent reaction are observed representatively to evaluate a trophically heterogenous group with predators, the state or the health of an ecosystem (Ferris detripagous and mycopagous species. Previous and Humphrey, 1999; Walz, 2000; Burger, 2006; study in South African soils showed that Gerhardt, 2012). According to the different Oribatida dominate the forest soil while applications of biological indicators, three groups Trombidiform mites were more abundant in the can be distinguished: (1) environmental indicator, savannah (Olivier and Ryke, 1965; Loots and where species responding predictably to Ryke, 1967). In contrast to the anaerobic process environmental disturbance or change,(2) of fermentation and putrefaction causing an ecological indicator, where species are known to increase of Acaridida, a best porosity (aeration) of be sensitive to pollution and habitat the soil promotes the development and fragmentation,(3) biodiversity indicator, where emergence of Oribatida (Ducarme et al., 2004). species richness of an indicator taxon is used as The identification of characteristic or indicator indicator for species richness of a community species is a current practice in ecology and (Gerhardt, 2012). Direct measurement of soil biogeography. Field studies describing sites or biodiversity is expensive, and therefore a habitats usually mention one or several species substitution of measurement by indication is that characterize each habitat. However, there is a desirable (Ekschmitt et al., 2003). The different clear lack of data concerning the African soil properties of soil animals, which can be mesofauna. Our aim was to provide a first insight potentially used as indicators of soils quality was into this field by extraction of potential indicator listed by Linden et al. (1994). These include single species of a completely new set of data sampled organism level characteristics (behaviour, in well-contrasted ecosystems. development), community characteristics (species 3 MATERIAL AND METHODS 3.1 Study sites and sampling design: Four 30-35 cm, 35-40 cm), with a steel corer ( ∅ 3.5 sites located in Ivory Coast were studied: Lamto cm). A total of 270 soil cores were taken at each savannah (Coordinates: 6°13' N, 5°02' W; site and along the entire soil profile for altitude: 125 m asl) and Oumé primary forest and extracting. Another set of 240 soil cores were Teak plantation (Coordinates: 6°31’ N, 5°30’ W; taken for physico-chemical analysis. More details altitude: 200 m asl) situated in Sudanese domain concerning the sampling are given by N’Dri and and the Tai primary forest (Coordinates: 5°45’ N, André (2011), and other descriptions relative to 7°07 W; altitude: 150-200 m asl) based in the site such as climate regime, temperature, Guinean domain. Each site was sampled twice rainfall pattern, vegetation and soil type are during 2008 at different depth (Litter, 0-5 cm, 5- presented in Table 1. 10 cm, 10-15 cm, 15-20 cm, 20-25 cm, 25-30 cm, 4623 Journal of Animal &Plant Sciences, 2016. Vol.29, Issue 2: 4622-4637 Publication date 1/07/2016, http://www.m.elewa.org/JAPS ; ISSN 2071-7024 Table 1: Ecological variables and levels of the disturbance from the different site investigated. Temperature and precipitation are annual mean values. Habitats investigated (sites) Oume primary forest Taï primary forest Lamto savannah Oume teak plantation Variables description Climate Subequatorial Subequatorial Intertropical humid Subequatorial Temperature of the last 10 years 26°C 25.35°C (1993-2002) 34.58°C 26°C (1998-2007) Temperature of the study years 25.9°C ----- 36.99°C 25.9°C (2008) Precipitation of the last 10 years 1447.9 mm 1853.2 mm (1993-2002) 1270.02 mm 1447.9 mm (1998-2007) Precipitation of the study years 1592 mm ----- 1211.4 mm 1592 mm (2008) Vegetation characteristics Semi-deciduous forest Humid forest Discontinuous layer of trees and 14-year-old teak shrubs dominated by tall palm (mesophile type) trees (monospecies plantation) (Borassus aethiopum ) and Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) Sol type Ferralitic soil Desaturated ferrallitic Ferralsols Ferralitic soil (sandy-clay) and hydromorphic soils (sandy loam) Moderately disturbed site Levels of the disturbance Undisturbed site Less disturbed site Highly disturbed site and and limited to clearing and limited to some tracks cutting ----- No available 4624 Journal of Animal &Plant Sciences, 2016. Vol.29, Issue 2: 4622-4637 Publication date 1/07/2016, http://www.m.elewa.org/JAPS ; ISSN 2071-7024 3.2 Mite extraction and identification: where Nsites ij is the number of sites in -group j The mesofauna was extracted during 1-week where species i is present, and Nsites j is the total using a Berlese-Tullgren system. The extracted number of sites in that group. The percentage microarthropods were poured into a Petri-dish indicator value for species i in-group of sites j is: from where the mites were sorted from the rest of the microarthropods