
Thomas BolgerUniversity College Dublin | UCD · School of Biology and Environmental Science
Thomas Bolger
B. Sc., Ph. D., H. Dip in Ed., Dip. Comp. Model. S
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200
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Introduction
Thomas Bolger currently works at the School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin. Thomas does research in Zoology and Ecology.
Additional affiliations
October 1981 - present
Publications
Publications (200)
Our understanding of soil microarthropod (Acari and Collembola) community assembly and dynamics is somewhat limited compared to aboveground communities. Understanding the processes involved in assembly and the spatial scales at which they occur would help answer the age old question of how so many species and individuals can coexist in soil. We use...
Springtails (Collembola) inhabit soils from the Arctic to the Antarctic and comprise an estimated ~32% of all terrestrial arthropods on Earth. Here, we present a global, spatially-explicit database on springtail communities that includes 249,912 occurrences from 44,999 samples and 2,990 sites. These data are mainly raw sample-level records at the s...
Ecologists are increasingly recognizing the importance of stochastic processes in generating spatial and temporal variation in biological communities. This variation is very high in soil, which hosts not <¼ of all biodiversity on Earth and is central to how terrestrial ecosystems respond to perturbations. Measurement errors, demographic stochastici...
Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains...
Vegetation is widely used in the assessment of the quality of peatlands, while the invertebrate fauna of peatlands is relatively poorly studied. We compared the bioindicator values of vegetation with two arthropod groups widespread in peatlands, saprophagous Oribatida (Acariformes) and predatory Mesostigmata (Parasitiformes) mites. Samples were col...
Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil animals regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains un...
Forest water bodies, e.g., pools, constitute ‘environmental islands’ within forests, with specific flora and fauna thus contributing considerably to the landscape biodiversity. The mite communities of Oribatida and Mesostigmata in two distinctive microhabitats, water-soaked Sphagnum mosses at the edge of a pool and other mosses growing on the mediu...
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Ecologists have long debated the properties that confer stability to complex, species-rich ecological networks. Species-level soil food...
Arthropods are the most species-rich group in arboreal communities where mites are often both abundant and diverse. Manual sampling by climbers is generally used in studies of arboreal mites but chemical fogging is sometimes used as an alternative sampling method. In this study, mites (Acari: Oribatida, Acari: Mesostigmata) from the canopies of oak...
Broadleaf forests are critical habitats for biodiversity and this biodiversity is in turn essential for their proper functioning. Mites (Acari) are a numerous and functionally essential component of these forests. We report the diversity of two important groups, Oribatida and Mesostigmata, in a broadleaf forest in Eastern Norway which is considered...
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provid...
Earthworms are an important soil taxon as ecosystem engineers, providing a variety of crucial ecosystem functions and services. Little is known about their diversity and distribution at large spatial scales, despite the availability of considerable amounts of local-scale data. Earthworm diversity data, obtained from the primary literature or provid...
Dairy soiled water (DSW) is a dilute mixture of cow faeces, urine, milk and detergents produced from the washing of milking plant and holding areas, and contains nutrients. Its N fertilizer replacement value (NFRV), compared to inorganic fertilizer (IF), was determined in a plot experiment on two grassland soils (well‐drained and poorly drained) in...
The importance of microbial and plant communities in the control of the diversity and structure of soil animal communities has been clarified over the last decade. Previous research focused on abiotic factors, niche separation and spatial patterns. Significant gaps still exist in our knowledge of the factors that control the stability of these comm...
The discovery of a large and flourishing population of Phreodrilidae in terrestrial peatlands in northwest Ireland was surprising on two counts: these oligochaete worms are usually aquatic and most of the species occur in the Southern Hemisphere. The phreodrilids were discovered in a project that targeted Enchytraeidae, therefore methods adapted to...
Broadleaf forests are rare in Norway and they are considered one the most biodiverse terrestrial habitats in Fennoscandia. These forests are poorly studied in terms of their acarofauna. Mites of two groups, Oribatida and Mesostigmata, were studied in a broadleaf forest in Western Norway. In total, 6,350 oribatid mites, representing 67 species (i.e....
Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global
dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, a...
Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, a...
This PDF file includes:
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References
Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, a...
Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, a...
This PDF file includes:
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References
This PDF file includes:
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References
This PDF file includes:
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References
This PDF file includes:
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References
The UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) comprise core conservation areas supported by a buffer and transition zone of sustainable development. This zoning can help manage urbanisation around conservation areas. Although it is UNESCO policy to measure the number of BRs that have interactions with urban areas, there has been no systematic assessment of u...
Biodiversity of ecosystems is an important driver for the supply of ecosystem services to people. Soils often have a larger biodiversity per unit surface area than what can be observed aboveground. Here, we present what is to our knowledge the most extensive literature-based key-word assessment of the existing information about the relationships be...
The Mesostigmata occurring in aboveground microhabitats in two Norwegian woodlands were surveyed which revealed ten species new to Norway’s fauna: Cilliba cassidea (Hermann, 1804), Zercon lindrothi Lundqvist & Johnston, 1986, Holoparasitus inornatus (Berlese, 1906), Lysigamasus armatus Halbert 1915, Paragamasus alstoni (Bhattacharyya, 1963), Paraga...
The study of Irish Mesostigmata extends back for more than 100 years, and most of the principal Irish habitat types have been studied. In this paper we provide a catalogue of the species of Mesostigmata (Arachnida, Acari, Parasitiformes) recorded from Ireland over that time. The catalogue includes 329 species, information on the habitats and locati...
Soil biodiversity encompasses an enormous array of life on the planet. Soil organisms are essential for most processes and functions in the soil. Soil biological knowledge is critical for understanding functions such as nutrient supply to plants, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions, all of which are key to meeting the global challenge...
The morphological ontogeny of Chamobates pusillus (Berlese, 1895) is described and illustrated. The larva of this species is unpigmented and without a gastronotal shield, whereas the shield is present in the nymphs and has 10 pairs of setae (d-, l-, h-series and p1), while setae p2, p3 and of c-series are inserted on unsclerotized cuticle. In the j...
The relative importance of niche separation, non-equilibrial and neutral models of community assembly has been a theme in community ecology for many decades with none appearing to be applicable under all circumstances. In this study, Collembola species abundances were recorded over eleven consecutive years in a spatially explicit grid and used to e...
Loss, fragmentation and decreasing quality of habitats have been proposed as major threats to biodiversity world-wide, but relatively little is known about biodiversity responses to multiple pressures, particularly at very large spatial scales. We evaluated the relative contributions of four landscape variables (habitat cover, diversity, fragmentat...
We provide a catalogue of the oribatid species (Arachnida, Acari, Oribatida) recorded from Ireland between the first records at the beginning of the 20th century and 2015. The catalogue, which contains 246 named species includes information on the habitats and locations where the species were found in Ireland as well as the references (if the data...
By living in permanent burrows and incorporating organic detritus from the soil surface, anecic earthworms con- tribute to soil heterogeneity, but their impact is still under- studied in natural field conditions.We investigated the effects of the anecic earthworm Lumbricus centralis on fresh carbon (C) incorporation, soil organic matter composition...
Soil organisms are considered drivers of soil ecosystem services (primary productivity, nutrient cycling, carbon cycling, water regulation) associated with sustainable agricultural production. Soil biodiversity was highlighted in the soil thematic strategy as a key component of soil quality. The lack of quantitative standardised data at a large sca...
Dairy farming in Ireland generates an effluent known as dairy soiled water (DSW), which consists of a relatively dilute mixture of cow faeces, urine, spilt milk and detergents that is typically applied to grassland. However, relatively little is known about the volumes generated, nutrient content and management factors that influence volume and con...
Ant nests are a microhabitat within grasslands that provide habitat for a wide range of invertebrates, including mites. The mite assemblages inhabiting ant nests in Ireland are poorly studied. This paper compares the mite communities in nests of the yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus (Fabricius), with those away from the nests in an Irish grassland....
The sustainable use of soils requires the protection of soil biodiversity because of its importance in the delivery of ecosystems services. However, no effective indicator exists which would allow assessment of the current state of biodiversity and is sensitive to change. This study, which is a component of the EcoFINDERS project, examines the use...
The sustainable use of soils requires the protection of soil biodiversity because of its importance in the delivery of ecosystems services. However, no effective indicator exists which would allow assessment of the current state of biodiversity and is sensitive to change. This study, which is a component of the EcoFINDERS project, examines the use...
In determining the overall γ-diversity within a land use type or when assessing the impact of a land use on biodiversity one has to consider the hierarchically nested nature of the γ-diversity. In this study we used a hierarchical approach to examine the diversity of mites, Oribatei and Mesostigmata, in various forest types in Ireland. The study in...
In this paper we present the first records for Ireland of Heminothrus (Capillonothrus) thori (Berlese, 1904) and Perlohmannia (Perlohmannia) dissimilis (Hewitt, 1908), both mites belonging to the suborder Oribatida. Both species were recovered from riparian habitats along the River Liffey in Co. Kildare and, in addition to providing number of indiv...
The CréBeo project investigated biodiversity in Irish soils and provided data on the distribution, diversity and indicator value of a range of micro- and macro-organisms. In this paper we present data on the oribatid and gamasid (or mesostigmatid) mites (Arachnida, Acari) found in the survey. More than 100 taxa of mites were collected from 48 sites...
In this paper, we present the first records for Ireland of Heminothrus (Capillonothrus) thori (Berlese, 1904) and Perlohmannia (Perlohmannia) dissimilis (Hewitt, 1908), both mites belonging to the suborder Oribatida. Both species were recovered from riparian habitats along the River Liffey in Co. Kildare and, in addition to providing number of indi...
Extensive afforestation took place in Ireland during the twentieth century and the forest cover currently represents about 10% of the land area. However, approximately 50% of this forest is Sitka spruce, a non-native species introduced from the North Western United States of America. Little is known about the microarthopods of these forests and the...
The development of models of the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem function ( BEF ) has advanced rapidly over the last 20 years, incorporating insights gained through extensive experimental work. We propose G eneralised D iversity‐ I nteractions models that include many of the features of existing models and have several novel feature...
Diversity of plant species and the species composition (identity) are known to influence below-ground diversity. In this paper we examine the effects of plant species diversity (richness and evenness), rates of nitrogen application and planting density, on earthworm community structure in grassland. The study was carried out at three sites in Irela...
Forest is the climax vegetation for most of Ireland. Yet, at the beginning of the twentieth century, because of deforestation, only 1.4 % of the land area was afforested. Currently government policy encourages afforestation and at present approximately 10 % of the land is forested. More than 90 % of these forests are plantation forests and most of...
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The FunctionalBio project investigated biodiversity in Irish forestry providing data on the diversity and distribution of a range of organisms. Here, we present data on the oribatid and mesostigmatid mites (Arachnida: Acari) found in the study in 25 sites across the country divided into five forest types selected to represent the major forest types...
This paper quantified the soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, bulk density, depth and carbon (C) stocks of 24 afforested peatlands. We found that the peat bulk density does not increase with depth, as has been previously noted in the literature. The depths of each different peat type were found to vary widely with means of 192 ± 100, 145 ± 130...
Machair is a highly specialised and complex sand dune habitat confined globally to the west coasts of Ireland and Scotland.
Irish machair is designated as a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive, with the habitat coverage restricted to
the machair grassland. The main goals of the study were to describe the Acari fauna inhabiting the Iris...
Following centuries of deforestation, the area of forest in Ireland is increasing at a rate of between 20,000 and 25,000 hectares annually. However, the vast majority of the afforestation has been with Sitka spruce which is native to North America. In this study we describe the oribatid fauna of a Sitka spruce canopy in Ireland and compare it with...
Peatlands represent 16.2% of the land surface of Ireland. While a lot of work has been done to investigate some aspects of the biodiversity of these systems, relatively little is known of the soil fauna. In this study, we examine the mites from the orders Oribatida and Mesostigmata occurring in a range of peatland types. Fifty seven species were fo...