Selected Acari groups in the Czarne Doły nature reserve as a model group for studying the impact of an umbrella species

A new nature reserve called Czarne Doły, established in 2022 in Wielkopolska (Greater Poland), was intended to protect the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis (L)). This fact became an inspiration to initiate long-term monitoring research studies on soil mite communities. The planned studies are aimed to ascertain how the legal protection of this area will affect the biodiversity of acarofauna in the future, that is, whether the European pond turtle can be an umbrella species for soil mites. For the purpose of this research, 85 samples from soil and dead wood were collected in the area of the reserve in 2023 and 2024. The mite groups selected for the studies are species from the following orders: Prostigmata (family Labidostommidae), Oribatida (ptyctimous mites, family Nothridae, family Camisiidae), Mesostigmata (suborders Uropodina and Sejina). In the collected samples, a total of 40 mite species were identified, of which 14 new species were found in the second phase of the study. Among the found species, many common soil species occurring all over the country predominated, with a high percentage of the eurytopic species of Uropodina, such as Oodinychus ovalis (C. L. Koch, 1839), and synanthropic - Oodinychus karawaiewi (Berlese, 1904). It is expected that the percentage the latter species should decrease over time as the area is protected. In addition, specimens of two rare species were also recorded in one of the examined sites, i.e. Dinychus septentrionalis (Trägårdh, 1943) and Labidostomma luteum Kramer, 1889. It is planned to conduct regular observations every five years in order to ascertain the changes in communities of soil mites in this area.