Tardigrades are microscopic organisms found in both terrestrial and aquatic environments, adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. Despite their adaptability, tardigrade ecology, particularly their spatial distribution, remains an understudied topic. In this study, we provide a brief overview of tardigrades identified from 26 forests in Southern Chile. We represent tardigrades using Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and examine their spatial distribution across multiple spatial scales. The finer scale involves individual samples (3 x 3 cm, ~9 cm2), while the larger scale encompasses the entire site from which samples were collected (10 x 10 km, 100 km2). We assessed both alpha and beta diversity at these finer and larger scales to determine the impact of these scales on their distribution. Additionally, we assessed whether geographical distances influence species turnover. Our results indicate that the composition and the assemblages of tardigrades varies greatly among samples and among sites. Different sites and scales significantly impact the spatial distribution of tardigrades. Moreover, we found nestedness was low but turnover was high across all the sites, and that geographical distance among sites does not impact turnover. Investigating how tardigrade diversity varies with scale, enhances our understanding of ecological dynamics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc2356242 |
| Date | 07 1900 |
| Creators | Mohanan, Arya |
| Contributors | Jiménez, Jaime E., Marley, Nigel, Bohenek, Jason |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Mohanan, Arya, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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