Mesostigmata mite assemblages in stands developed on former agricultural land

Afforestation of post-agricultural land plays a crucial role in restoring forest soil properties and initiating secondary succession processes driven by soil biota. In this study, we compared Mesostigmata communities in even-aged (21 y./o.) stands of Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris, and Tilia cordata established on a former agricultural lands, and adjacent fallow field as a reference habitat, located near the Żelazny Most tailings storage facility (Lubin Forest District, Poland). Soil sampling was conducted on 18 study sites (5 tree species and fallow field × 3 plots) using steel corer (0-15 cm depth), consisting of 90 samples (5 samples from each plot). In total, 592 mesostigmatid mites representing 39 taxa and 15 families were recorded. Community structure differed among habitats, with Alnus glutinosa supporting the highest abundance and diversity, while Tilia cordata exhibited the lowest values. Deciduous stands generally hosted richer and more abundant assemblages than coniferous stands and the fallow field. The occurrence of both widespread generalists and highly specialized species highlights clear habitat differentiation and varying degrees of ecological specialization, reflecting differences in soil restoration processes among tree species.