Life Sciences Commons^™

Acari (Mite) Abundance And Diversity In Soil And Litter Layers Of Eucalyptus Globulus Labill (Tasmanian Bluegum) Plantations In Southwest Western Australia, Honi M. Adolphson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With the increased planting of E. globulus monoculture plantations, concerns surround the impact these mass plantings will have on the soil environment and wider ecosystem. Soil and litter mites are the dominant saprophages of terrestrial ecosystems, contributing to decomposition processes through their comminution and grazing activities. Despite the importance of mites to decomposition processes, there have been no investigations to date of the litter and soil communities under these plantations within Australia. This study investigated the impact of Eucalyptus globulus subsp. globulus (Tasmanian bluegum) monoculture plantations on the diversity and abundance of the soil and litter acarine (mite) fauna. Mite …