• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 2000

Community analysis of oribatid mites was conducted in Namsan and Kwangreung coniferous forests which have been received by different degrees of environmental pressures through urbanization processes. Oribatid mites were sampled in the litter and soil layer of study sites from May 1993 to October 1994. Although two sites have been under similar weather condition, seasonal changes in oribatid mites density did not show a synchronized pattern. Density in spring and summer showed stable pattern with low fluctuations, but unstable pattern in autumn between 1993 and 1994. And these patterns were highly correlated with precipitation. The density and species number were higher in the litter layer than in the soil layer and showed no typical seasonal changes. The dominant species were Scheloribates latipes (1 l.78%), Pergalumna altera (8.92%), Eohypochthonius crassisetiger (7.58%), Scheloribates sp. (6.89%) and Suctobelbella yezoensis (5.04%) in Namsan, and Ceratozetes japonicus (25.72%), Punctoribates punctum (14.15%), Trichogalumna nipponica (10.96%) and Ramusella sengbuschi (5.08%) in Kwangreung. The number of species with high constany were 10 and 18 in Namsan and Kwangreung, respectively. Namsan showed the feature of urban forests. In analysis of species diversity, species richness was significantly higher in Kwangreung than in Namsan, while shannon (H') and evenness index (J') were higher in Namsan than in Kwangreung. The values of shannon index (H') in Namsan and Kwangreugn were 2.83 and 2.62, respectively and evenness index (J') were 0.78 and 0.67, respectively. The value of similarity index between two sites was 0.68.