Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Research Article
Effects of Plant Functional Types Substrates on Soil Arthropod Community in Coastal Urban Wetlands
Author(s): Ortiz-Ramírez Gloria*, Hernández-Figueroa Elix, Pinto-Pacheco Solimar and Cuevas Elvira
This research examined the effects of plant functional types, via associated litter quantity and quality, on soil arthropods community structure and composition in a tropical urban coastal wetland. Substrate samples were collected from four plant functional types—tree, shrub, grass, fern—during different hydroperiod conditions in 2020 and 2021 and were processed using lighted Tullgren–Berlese extractors. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratios (C:N ratio), along with carbon and nitrogen contents, were measured for each sample. The study demonstrated statistically significant associations between the mass of loose litter, the carbon (%C) and nitrogen (%N) content of the substrate, and the richness and abundance of soil arthropods. The mass of loose litter exerted a more pronounced influence on both richness and abundance. A succession of taxa-dependent interactions related .. View more»