Microhabitat Selectivity of Mites (Acari) in a Natural Lowland Beech Forest (Melico-Fagetum) in Wronie Reserve (Poland)

The European beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) is a tree species common throughout Europe, with the eastern boundary of its range extending across Poland. Samples were collected in several microhabitats of beech stands (e.g., leaf litter, rotting wood, moss growing on tree stumps) in the Wronie Forest Reserve. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of microhabitat conditions found in beech forests on the diversity of mite assemblages and their species richness. The collected samples comprised a total of 144 identified species (78 species of Oribatida, 66 species of Mesostigmata), represented by 74,433 mite individuals (71,124 Oribatida and 3309 Mesostigmata). All the analyzed microhabitats varied in terms of their mite assemblages. The highest number of species was identified in moss on beech stumps (72 species-53 Oribatida and 19 Mesostigmata) and in samples collected from beech litter (68 species-48 Oribatida and 20 Mesostigmata). The most numerously represented species in the analyzed material was <i>Parachipteria willmanni</i>, which was classified to superdominants in moss on beech stumps and moss on beech trunks (0.5 and 2.0 m), which were the most similar microhabitats. In contrast, mite assemblages in rotting wood and marsh litter differed greatly.