Observations on the vertical distribution of soil Oribatei in a woodland soil

SUMMARY The vertical distribution of Oribatei in a black pine plantation soil was studied in situ using the soil sectioning technique. Oribatei were most abundent in the upper 3 cm due to the greater abundance of suitable food in this region. Larger species were usually confined to the upper layers but some smaller species were also abundant in this region. A correlation between the size of the species and their penetration was not found to be statistically significant. Nested analysis of variance showed seasonal redistribution in some species. The vertical distribution of individual species is discussed, and partially explained.