ISSN:
1432-0789
Keywords:
Key words Microarthropods
;
Earthworms
;
Spatial distribution
;
Collembola
;
Biodiversity
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Geosciences
,
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Abstract In a study of a 15-year-old pasture in Martinique (French West Indies), abundance and organization of microarthropod communities were correlated with the spatial distribution of the earthworm Polypheretima elongata (Megascolecidae). In patches of high earthworm density (133 individuals m–2), microarthropod density was significantly higher (80000 individuals m–2) than in patches with few earthworms (31 worms m–2 and 49000 microarthropods m– 2). The diversity of microarthropod communities followed a similar pattern, the Shannon index for Collembola communities being, respectively, 3.12 and 1.82 in and outside earthworm patches. These results suggest that mesofauna abundance and diversity might be at least partly determined by the activity of larger invertebrates, as a result of the dramatic effects that the latter group exerts upon soil structure, pore distribution and food resources.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s003740050394
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