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We tested the numerical responses of desert soil microarthropods to season, substrate quality, litter quality and soil conditions. The numerical changes were monitored with litterbags which enclosed 10.0 g of oven-dried leaf material collected from three Atriplex species. These species have been widely utilized on land reclamation programs in north-central Chile. In terms of numbers of microarthropods, A. repanda-litter apparently constituted a better habitat than A. semibaccata and A. nummularia, an introduced australian species. Across the main taxa, we detected seasonal patterns of density which were apparently related to litter quality and soil conditions.