Effects of Hydrologic Regime Changes on a Taxonomic and Functional Trait Structure of Earthworm Communities in Mountain Wetlands.

Disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic, influence the patterning of species and species traits. The shift in species composition and distribution pattern of functional traits can demonstrate if the community is resistant, sensitive or resilient to the disturbance. Based on species- and trait-based approaches, we examined the response of the earthworm community to changing hydrologic conditions caused by the artificial drainage of mountain fens, in which cumulative effects of disturbance events over space and time are much less dynamic than in riverine wetlands.

Responses of soil microarthropod taxon (Hexapoda: Protura) to natural disturbances and management practices in forest-dominated subalpine lake catchment areas.

Disturbances are intrinsic drivers of structure and function in ecosystems, hence predicting their effects in forest ecosystems is essential for forest conservation and/or management practices. Yet, knowledge regarding belowground impacts of disturbance events still remains little understood and can greatly vary by taxonomic and functional identity, disturbance type and local environmental conditions. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted a survey of soil-dwelling Protura, across forests subjected to different disturbance regimes (i.

New taxa of oribatid mites from Korup National Park (Cameroon). The genus Pergalumna (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae), with description of three new species and a key to known species from the Ethiopian region.

Three new species of oribatid mites of the genus Pergalumna (Oribatida, Galumnidae) are described from litter and soil in the Korup National Park (Cameroon). Pergalumna jenoi sp. nov.

Two new species of the family Cunaxidae (Acari: Prostigmata) from Madagascar.

Two new mite species from Madagascar, based on female specimens, viz. Armascirus skvarlai sp. nov.

New Galumnoidea (Acari, Oribatida) from Hanoi (Northern Vietnam).

Three new species of oribatid mites of the superfamily Galumnoidea (Acari, Oribatida) are described from vicinities of the city of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam. Allogalumna bochkovi sp. nov.

New Protoribates (Acari, Oribatida, Haplozetidae) from Vietnam.

Three new species of oribatid mites of the genus Protoribates (Oribatida, Haplozetidae) are described based on adult specimens from the Tam Dao National Park of Northern Vietnam. Protoribates chistyakovi sp. nov.

New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Madagascar.

In six sifting litter samples from Madagascar, altogether 26 species of ptyctimous mites, belonging to four families and 11 genera, were found. Three new species, Arphthicarus phoxos sp. nov.

Molecular characterization of a new monopartite dsRNA mycovirus from mycorrhizal Thelephora terrestris (Ehrh.) and its detection in soil oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida).

A novel dsRNA virus was identified in the mycorrhizal fungus Thelephora terrestris (Ehrh.) and sequenced. This virus, named Thelephora terrestris virus 1 (TtV1), contains two reading frames in different frames but with the possibility that ORF2 could be translated as a fusion polyprotein after ribosomal -1 frameshifting.

Three new species of the family Phthiracaridae (Acari, Oribatida) from Bolivia.

Three new species of the family Phthiracaridae, Austrophthiracarus longisetosus sp. nov., Phthiracarus allocotos sp.

New and little known species of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) from Cameroon.

Altogether 24 species of ptyctimous mites were found in sifting litter samples from the Cameroon. Twelve new species of the ptyctimous mites, Indotritia montkoupensis sp. nov.

New species of Uropodina from Madagascar (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Seven new species and one new genus of Uropodina are described from Madagascar. The third Afrotropical species of Polyaspis is described (Polyapis (Polyaspis) madagascarensis sp. nov.

Intensive agriculture reduces soil biodiversity across Europe.

Soil biodiversity plays a key role in regulating the processes that underpin the delivery of ecosystem goods and services in terrestrial ecosystems. Agricultural intensification is known to change the diversity of individual groups of soil biota, but less is known about how intensification affects biodiversity of the soil food web as a whole, and whether or not these effects may be generalized across regions. We examined biodiversity in soil food webs from grasslands, extensive, and intensive rotations in four agricultural regions across Europe: in Sweden, the UK, the Czech Republic and Greece.

New species of Atropacarus (Hoplophorella), (Acari, Oribatida, Phthiracaridae) from the Afrotropical region.

Four new species of the subgenus Hoplophorella are desccribed and identified from the Afrotropical region: Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) curtisetosus sp. nov. from Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania, Atropacarus (Hoplophorella) distinctus sp.

Soil food web changes during spontaneous succession at post mining sites: a possible ecosystem engineering effect on food web organization?

Parameters characterizing the structure of the decomposer food web, biomass of the soil microflora (bacteria and fungi) and soil micro-, meso- and macrofauna were studied at 14 non-reclaimed 1- 41-year-old post-mining sites near the town of Sokolov (Czech Republic). These observations on the decomposer food webs were compared with knowledge of vegetation and soil microstructure development from previous studies. The amount of carbon entering the food web increased with succession age in a similar way as the total amount of C in food web biomass and the number of functional groups in the food web.

New taxa and new records of oribatid mites of the family Galumnidae (Acari: Oribatida) from Ecuador.

The new genus Neoctenogalumna gen. nov. with Ctenogalumna moresonensis Engelbrecht, 1972 as a type species and the new subgenus Neoctenogalumna (Paractenogalumna) subgen.

New Uropodine mites from Tanzania (Acari: Mesostigmata).

Three new species and one new genus of Uropodina from Tanzania are described and illustrated. They include the second species of the genus Bloszykiella Kontschán, 2010, Bloszykiella grebennikovi sp. nov.