Effect of Hydrologic Disturbance Regimes on Protura Variability in a River Floodplain

Abstract

Protura, an almost neglected taxon in ecological studies of soil microarthropods, were examined at highly vulnerable sites of fluvial forest stands of the Transcarpathian Lowland. To compare the effects of different hydrologic disturbance regimes on Protura assemblages, we examined part of a river floodplain subjected to periodical inundation, and a non-inundated part with limited fluvial activity, behind the river embankment. Ten sites were selected for sampling, with four sites dominated by oak and one dominated by poplar in each part. The type of hydrologic disturbance regime in the river floodplain shaped Protura assemblages and influenced their variability. Highest abundance and species richness were correlated with the non-inundated part of the floodplain under oak stands, although Protura also tolerated soil conditions of exposure to regular inundation. We present and discuss several hypotheses concerning the causes of distribution patterns of Protura in the river floodplain with different hydrologic disturbance regimes, including sensitivity to mycorrhizal associations and the role of Protura assemblages as a potential ecological bioindicator of pedogenic transformations in riverine wetlands.