Communities of uropodine mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) in selected oak-hornbeam forests of the Wielkopolska region (Poland) Agnieszka Napierala Æ Jerzy Bloszyk Æ Jan Bruin Received: 31 May 2007 / Accepted: 12 March 2009 / Published online: 27 March 2009 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009 Abstract Pristine oak-hornbeam forests are among the richest flora and fauna environ- ments in Poland. The agricultural development of the Wielkopolska region has led to the replacement of forest area with farmland. Consequently, the oak-hornbeam forests became fragmented, resulting in the isolation of local arthropod populations. The aim of this study was to compare the communities of uropodine mites in selected parts of a forest, differing in stand age and composition, physical soil condition and degree of anthropogenic pres- sure. Species composition of mite communities in a forest near Duszniki (West Poland), transformed by humans, was compared with the mite species composition observed in three nature reserves in its close vicinity. The analyses showed that Trachytes aegrota and Olodiscus minima constitute more than 50% of all communities in each type of tree stand. Diversity in Uropodina communities was higher in older tree stands, as well as in protected areas. Some species, such as Uroobovella pulchella, Uroobovella pyriformis and Dinychus woelkei, are related to specific microhabitats (e.g., they inhabit only dead wood) but there are also ubiquitous species, occurring in all types of environment, e.g., Oodinychus ovalis. Species like Oodinychus karawaiewi and Dinychura cordieri indicate a high degree of forest disturbance. Presence of such species as Trachytes lamda, Cilliba rafalskii, Cilliba cassideasimilis and Trematurella elegans points at high naturalness of soil in oak-horn- beam forests. These species have been found in old ( [ 100 years old) tree stands, where Uropodina communities were also the richest. A. Napierala (&) Á J. Bloszyk Department of General Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland e-mail: agan@amu.edu.pl J. Bloszyk Faculty of Biology AMU, Natural History Collections, ul. Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland J. Bruin IBED, Section Population Biology, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 320, 1098 SM Amsterdam, The Netherlands 123 Exp Appl Acarol (2009) 49:291–303 DOI 10.1007/s10493-009-9262-2