The effect of season on protostelid communities

Colonization of protostelids in microhabitats of forests and grasslands dur ing the winter is lower than in the summer. During the winter, colonization and species richness are greater in the litter than in the aerial microhab itat, whereas during the summer colonization is similar between the aerial and the litter microhabitat. The number of colonies of several species is d epressed in the winter when compared to the summer. Prominent examples incl ude Protostelium mycophaga, Soliformovum irregularis, aerial species, and S chizoplasmodiopsis pseudoendospora, a litter species. However, two species, Schizoplasmodiopsis vulgare and Nematostelium ovatum, are more abundant in the winter.