Can We Preserve Biodiversity in Extremely Touristic Areas?

Aim: It is estimated that at most 10% of the populations of soil microarthropods have been explored and little is known about the drivers of the community composition. Noted the growing interest in using them as bioindicators, there is a need in understanding how communities respond to different disturbances. In this study, we investigated how microarthropods populations respond to anthropic pressure in two neighbouring Italian coastal areas: the natural reserve of Porto Caleri and the extremely touristic Albarella island. Method: We sampled 10 biotopes per area: 8 samples were taken along a transect from shore to forest across the Mediterranean dunal system, and the last 2 samples in unique site-specific non- matching biotopes. From each sample, edaphic microarthropods were extracted and their community analysed. Results: Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in arthropod abundance, taxa richness, community composition, community diversity and QBS-ar index between the studied areas, suggesting that soil microarthropods are more dependent on the complexity of the ecosystem rather than on the level of anthropization. Conclusions: Natural habitats in Albarella island are extremely fragmented and eroded but scarcely mechanically disturbed and this has been revealed to be sufficient, in this site, for the preservation of the microarthropod community. This study suggests the importance, in artificial habitats, of the maintenance of some areas of preserved natural vegetation that act as hotspots for soil biodiversity. Further studies are needed to understand the minimum area necessary to preserve a vital community and the potential of spatial colonization of edaphic microarthropods.