Soil-dwelling microarthropods and fungi: combined indicators of ecosystem health in mediterranean agroforestry systems

Abstract Mediterranean agroecosystems, especially silvopastoral systems, face increasing pressures from climate change and land use intensification. Monitoring soil biodiversity in these systems is essential for understanding their ecological status and resilience. This study evaluates the combined role of soil-dwelling fungi and microarthropods as bioindicators of ecosystem condition under two land-use types (grassland and silvopasture) and different grazing intensities within silvopasture. Soil samples were collected from a central Italian farm during two seasons (spring and autumn). Community structure was assessed using Berlese extraction followed by taxonomic identification for microarthropods and DNA metabarcoding for fungi. Diversity indices and multivariate analyses (NMDS, PERMANOVA) revealed that microarthropod communities were more sensitive to land use and grazing intensity, whereas fungal communities were significantly shaped by sampling time. Specific taxa indicative of grazing intensity and vegetation structure were identified. These findings demonstrate the value of using complementary bioindicators to inform sustainable management and biodiversity monitoring protocols in Mediterranean agroforestry systems.