ISSN:
1432-0789
Keywords:
Nematode distribution
;
Wet funnel method
;
Biomass of bacterial, fungal, plant and omnivore feeders
;
Hordeum distichum
;
Festuca pratensis
;
Predation
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Summary The connection between faunal composition and soil factors is discussed in this study on vertical distribution of soil nematodes under grass and barley. The investigation was undertaken on the field site of a Swedish integrated research project “Ecology of Arable Land. The Role of Organisms in Nitrogen Cycling”. Higher nematode number (7.6 × 106 m−2) and biomass (340 mg dry wt. m−2) were found under a 4-year-old grass ley than under barley (5.0 × 106 m−2; biomass, 136 mg dry wt. m−2). Plant feeders dominated under the grass ley (3.2 × 106 m−2 whereas under barley the bacterial feeders (2.4 × 106 m−2) were the most abundant feeding group. Number, biomass, mean individual size and various community parameters indicated a much better nutritive situation for the nematodes under grass than under barley. The vertical changes in the various parameters, including proportion of egg-carrying females, indicated an increasing food shortage for the nematode populations towards greater depths. In the top soil, predation could be an important factor in regulating nematode number.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00260574
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