Effects of ant-hills on the community structure of soil microarthropods in an alpine meadow ecosystem

The objective of this study is to examine the effects of ant-hills on soil microarthropod communities in an alpine meadow ecosystem. Six ant-hills with diameter between 30 cm and 35 cm and six paired adjacent plots(with 2 m interval) as control were randomly selected in May, June and October 2018 in a Zoigê alpine meadow. Soil samples were collected from ant-hills and controls. Soil microarthropods were extracted from the soil samples for 48 h at 38 ℃ using the Tullgren method in the laboratory. The results showed that(1) the ant-hills markedly changed the structure of soil microarthropod communities, i.e., the dominant group shifting from mites to springtails.(2) The individual densities of the Entomobryomorph, Prostigmata and Oribatida in ant-hills were significantly higher than those in controls(P