Species richness of soil and leaf litter tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina/Tennessee, USA)

A comprehensive study of soil and leaf litter tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) reveals remarkably high species richness, with 80 species identified from 780 samples, including 14 new to science. This finding surpasses comparable studies in Japan, with GSMNP's estimated species richness significantly higher than that of Mt. Fuji and only surpassed by Kanagawa prefecture. The research utilized a large dataset (15,618 specimens) and employed the Chao 1 species richness estimator along with species accumulation curves to confirm near-complete sampling coverage. This study underscores the GSMNP's biodiversity and highlights the utility of species richness estimators in habitat comparisons, even when sampling efforts vary.

Nelson, D. R., & Bartels, P. J. (2013). Species richness of soil and leaf litter tardigrades in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina/Tennessee, USA). Journal of Limnology, 72(1s). https://doi.org/10.4081/jlimnol.2013.s1.e18