Density, diversity, and seasonal fluctuations in soil Collembola in three differently managed ecosystems in North Khorasan, Iran

We examined the density, diversity, and seasonal fluctuation of soil inhabiting Collembola in different ecosystems: agricultural, rangeland, and forest ecosystems in the North Khorasan province of Iran from June 2018 to May 2019. The sampling program was conducted monthly on the three sites. Density was measured on the number of individuals per square meter. Species diversity was calculated using Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson's diversity, and species richness by Rarefaction method. Fifty-three species belonging to 42 genera and 17 families were collected and identified. The density of Collembola in the forest was higher than in either rangeland or agroecosystem. Highest densities were recorded during October and April in the forest. A similar seasonal trend was observed in the rangeland and in the agroecosystem. The lowest densities in agroecosystem and rangeland were recorded during June and from forest in January. PERMANOVA analysis showed that the soil Collembola community differed between the three ecosystems. The SIMPER analysis revealed that the agriculture sites show the highest similarity (68.3), followed by pasture (51.8), and then forest (49.7). Indices of diversity and species richness values are discussed in light of land use. We found that forest harboured a higher density and diversity of Collembola compared to rangeland and agroecosystems.