A predatory mite (family Bdellidae) doing what it does best - feeding on a springtail. Having a mite skewer your head with its pointed chelicerae isn't the nicest way to go, but fascinating to observe!

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #Mesofauna #SoilBiodiversity #Macrophotography #Acari #Collembola #Mite #Springtail

For #InternationalBiodiversityDay I'll look beyond the soil, and showcase the amazing water-living springtail Podura aquatica.

Their adaptations for a life on the water surface include a flattened jumping organ, hydrophobic cuticle, and depositing their spermatophores and eggs on water!

#Collembola #Springtail #Mesofauna #Macrophotography #Biodiversity #SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #SoilEcology

Here's something you never see - a proturan's gut contents!

The jury is still out on what exactly these tiny (less than 1.5 mm long) soil invertebrates feed on - most likely decaying organic materials and fungal hyphae...

Have a tasty weekend, everyone!

#Macrophotography #SoilFauna #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity #Proturan #Mesofauna

I'm hoping it's better late than never for #InverteFest, with this photo of a beautiful globular springtail (Dicyrtomina saundersi)!

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity #Mesofauna #Springtail #SpringtailSunday #MacroPhotography #Collembola

I don't take as many photos of 'elongate' springtails (Entomobryomorpha) as the other orders, so let's change that!

This lovely pale yellow little springtail is Entomobrya nivalis, and is so widespread across temperate and polar regions that, unlike most Collembola, it has a common name: The 'Cosmopolitan Springtail'!

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #Mesofauna #Springtail #Collembola #MacroPhotography

A common pygmy woodlouse (Trichoniscus pusillus agg.) walking towards a feathery fungal fruiting body on a decaying log.

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #MacroPhotography #SoilBiodiversity #Isopoda #Woodlouse

A phthiracarid (oribatid) mite exploring its decaying log home 🥰

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity #Mesofauna #mite #Acari #MacroPhotography

I'm a magnet for interesting mite nymphs at the moment - here's the larval stage of a whirligig mite (Anystidae) feeding on the nymph of a turtle mite (Uropodina)*. I can confirm that whirligig nymphs are just as fast and hard to photograph as the adults!

*At first I thought it was feeding on an Astigmatid hypopus, but those long seta on the front legs are throwing me toward Uropodina/dae - second opinions welcome!

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #SoilFauna #MacroPhotography #Macro #Mite #MiteMonday #Mitestodon

I've not posted on here much lately, so here's a burst of macro loveliness to make up for it! I've been experimenting with zooming out a little in my compositions to show more of the microhabitat around the wee beasties, and I quite like the results!

#SoilEcology #SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #MacroPhotography #NaturePhotography #Nature

I want to buy a book on compost and would be grateful for recommendations. I like the titles of "Compost Science for Gardeners" and "The Science of Compost". Am leaning toward the latter because author is a scientist. But perhaps there are other titles to consider? #compost #composting #compostodon #gardening #soil #science #SoilEcology

This beautiful little creatures is a springtail known as Protaphorura aurantiaca - a fairly common British species which is found in decaying wood. Its striking yellow colour rapidly fades in alcohol, so normally I only see them as pale specimens under the microscope!

#SoilFauna #SoilEcology #Springtail #Mesofauna #MacroPhotography #Collembola

This little beauty is an Oribatid (Cepheus) mite nymph. Each ring of ornate scales on the mite's back are a previously moulted exoskeleton!

I've been trying to get a good photo of these for so long, and it turns out all I had to do was go looking around the research station grounds where I work.

#Mite #Oribatid #Acari #SoilFauna #MesoFauna #SoilEcology #SoilEcology #Macrophotgraphy

To my shame I've relented and returned to the bird site for soil biodiversity SciComm and career networking, however I plan to stay here too and keep fighting the good fight.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #SoilEcology #Millipede #Myriapod #MacroPhotography

@dezene
Tagging the @jobsecoevo group so that this #job advert for two #AssistantProfessor positions in Wildland #Fire #Ecology and #SoilEcology are boosted to the group's fellows.

#AcademicJobs

I’m pleased to say that my new Soil Ecology Lab at Forest Research is almost ready to go! Moving in next Monday 🔬🪱

Looking forward to all the amazing soil biodiversity research we can do in here, and the existing and future collaborations we can support!

#SoilEcology #SoilScience #SoilBiodiversity

Did you know there's a society in the UK dedicated to the conservation and supporting scientific research into earthworm ecology? I'm a member of the committee, and I have to say, they do great work!

Please consider supporting them by signing up as a member, if you are able to 😀
https://www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/

#Earthworm #Earthworms #SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #MacroPhotography #SoilFauna

Have you ever thought to yourself "I sure do love earthworms, but I just wish they were smaller"? If the answer to that was yes, then Potworms (Enchytraeidae) are for you!

Potworms are basically just scaled-down versions of their earthworm relatives, and occur in large numbers in habitats that then to be less hospitable to earthworms, such as very acidic coniferous forest soils.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #Earthworm #Potworm #Enchytraeidae #MacroPhotography #Macro #MacroFauna #SoilEcology

Have you ever thought to yourself "I sure do love earthworms, but I just wish they were smaller"? If the answer to that was yes, then Potworms (Enchytraeidae) are for you!

Potworms are basically just scaled-down versions of their earthworm relatives, and occur in large numbers in habitats that then to be less hospitable to earthworms, such as very acidic coniferous forest soils.

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #Earthworm #Potworm #Enchytraeidae #MacroPhotography #Macro #MacroFauna #SoilEcology

Symphylans (or ‘garden centipedes’) are Myriapods, making them distantly related to millipedes, centipedes and pauropods.

They're an absolute nightmare to photograph, as they rapidly run away when disturbed, e.g., when their favourite stone is turned over!

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilFauna #MacroPhotography #SoilEcology #Symphyla #Myriapod

#AlpSoil_Lab Paper openly available from today in #Gredleriana (nr. 2):

Neufunde von Spinnen (Arachnida: Araneae) für Südtirol und Italien aus dem Obervinschgau 🕷️🕷️🕷️🕷️
(Two new spider records for South Tyrol, two new for South Tyrol and #Italy)

➡️ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366426892_Neufunde_von_Spinnen_Arachnida_Araneae_fur_Sudtirol_und_Italien_aus_dem_Obervinschgau

#SoilBiodiversity #SoilEcology #LTERItalia #Alpine #Mountains #grasslands #SouthTyrol #Spiders #Araneae