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. 2023 May 2;18(5):e0282068.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282068. eCollection 2023.

Rocks, lichens, and woody litter influenced the soil invertebrate density in upland tundra heath

Olukayode O Jegede  1 , Katherine M Standen  2 , Steven Siciliano  1 , Eric G Lamb  2 , Katherine J Stewart  1
Affiliations

Rocks, lichens, and woody litter influenced the soil invertebrate density in upland tundra heath

Olukayode O Jegede et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Soil invertebrates are an integral part of Arctic ecosystems through their roles in the breakdown of litter, soil formation, and nutrient cycling. However, studies examining soil invertebrates in the Arctic are limited and our understanding of the abiotic and biotic drivers of these invertebrate communities remains understudied. We examined differences in soil invertebrate taxa (mites, collembolans, enchytraeids) among several undisturbed upland tundra heath sites in Nunavut Canada and identified the drivers (vegetation and substrate cover, soil nutrients and pH) of the soil invertebrate community across these sites. Soil invertebrate densities were similar to that of other Arctic studies. While invertebrate communities were relatively consistent between our sites, cover of rocks, woody litter, and the lichen Alectoria nigricans had significant, positive influences on the density of all invertebrates studied. Mites and collembolans were more closely associated with cover of lichens, whereas enchytraeids were more closely associated with woody litter and rocks. Our results suggest that anthropogenic (e.g., resource exploration and extraction) and/or natural (e.g., climate change) disturbances that result in changes to the vegetation community and woody litter inputs will likely impact soil invertebrates and the ecosystem services they provide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Boxplots showing the density of mites (a), collembolans (b), enchytraeids (c), and the sum of the soil invertebrates (d) in four upland tundra heath sites near Rankin Inlet, NU, Canada. Presented are the F and p values from one-way ANOVAs. Significant pairwise differences denoted by differing lowercase letters.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Principal components analyses of soil nutrient concentrations and pH, vegetation cover, and substrate cover among four upland tundra heath sites near Rankin Inlet, NU, Canada.
The permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) statistics (p-value and goodness of fit (R2adj) for differences among sites are displayed for each plot. See S1 Table for full species list and loadings for PC1 and PC2.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Partial redundancy analysis (RDA) demonstrating the influence of vegetation (ALENIG, DACARC, CARSPP) and substrates (woody litter and rocks) on invertebrate community density.
Presented are the goodness of fit (R2adj) and p value for the RDA model. Site was used as a conditional factor. ALENIG = Alectoria nigricans (lichen), DACARC = Dactylina arctica (lichen), CARSPP = Carex spp. (graminoid).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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