Comparative study of the biodiversity of soil mites between two forests in eastern Algeria
Abstract
S. Fekkoun*, N. Chebouti-Meziou, H.M.G. El Kawas, I. Slimani, M. Khettabi and H. Ghezal
Comparative study of the biodiversity of soil mites between two forests in eastern Algeria-The present workaimed to compare the acarofauna of two forests situated in the eastern of Algiers.One is in a natural state and the other has been human disturbed because it has become like a leisure park. The oribatid mite fauna was extracted from the samples using modified Berlese funnels. As a result of this study,the abundance of mite speciesin the Dellys forest estimated at 695 individuals with a high species richness (24 species) compared to Zemmouri with 241 individuals and a low species richness (20 species).In the Dellys station, the Acaridae family was the most abundant (AR%=51.88%), followed by Scheloribatidae (AR%=11.07%). In the Zemmouri station,the most dominant of the families were Scheloribatidae (AR%=33, 48%), followed by that of Acaridae(AR%=27, 36%).The other families were present with low frequencies.The lowest density of mites was noted in the Zemmouri station 769.6 mites per m² while the highest one was noted in the forest of Dellys with 3735.8 mites/m².Concerning the Shannon-Wienner (H') diversity index, the results demonstrated a large variation in both forestsranging from 2.1 bits to 2.9 bits.
The similarity index was 81%, which means the existence of a similarity between the two environments.In conclusion, the realization of a leisure park within the Zemmouri forest has led to a real consequence in view of the development of the acarofauna of the soil.