DOCSLIB.ORG

The Soil Food Web of Temperate Deciduous Forests: Litter And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Soil Food Web of Temperate Deciduous Forests: Litter And ZENTRUM FÜR BIODIVERSITÄT UND NACHHALTIGE LANDNUTZUNG SEKTION BIODIVERSITÄT, ÖKOLOGIE UND NATURSCHUTZ CENTRE OF BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE SECTION: BIODIVERSITY, ECOLOGY AND NATURE CONSERVATION The soil food web of temperate deciduous forests: litter and root resources as driving factors, and soil fauna effects on ecosystem processes Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultäten der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen vorgelegt von Diplom-Biologin Diana Grubert aus Strausberg Göttingen, Februar 2016 Referentin/Referent: Prof. Dr. Stefan Scheu Korreferentin/Korreferent: Prof. Dr. Mark Maraun Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 04.04.2016 Table of contents Summary .......................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 General Introduction ........................................................................................................ 9 Aboveground - belowground interactions and ecosystem functioning .......................... 10 Stable isotopes ................................................................................................................. 11 Soil biota ........................................................................................................................... 12 Microorganisms ............................................................................................................ 12 Microarthropods .......................................................................................................... 12 Earthworms .................................................................................................................. 13 Soil fauna interactions .................................................................................................. 13 Study site .......................................................................................................................... 14 Study objectives and chapter outline............................................................................... 15 Main hypotheses .......................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2 ...................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................... 16 References ........................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2 The importance of aboveground and belowground resources for the microbial community of temperate deciduous forests ...................................................................................... 24 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 25 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 26 Material and methods ...................................................................................................... 27 Study site ...................................................................................................................... 27 Experimental set up ..................................................................................................... 28 Sampling and analytical procedure .............................................................................. 29 Calculations and statistical analyses ............................................................................ 30 Results .............................................................................................................................. 31 Response of soil microorganisms to roots and litter ................................................... 31 Response of soil microorganisms to mycorrhizal type and identity of roots .............. 31 Response of soil microorganisms to quality and identity of leaf litter ........................ 32 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 33 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 37 References ........................................................................................................................ 37 Chapter 3 The importance of aboveground and belowground resources for soil invertebrates of temperate deciduous forests .......................................................................................... 43 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 44 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 45 Material and methods ...................................................................................................... 47 Study site ...................................................................................................................... 47 Experimental set up ..................................................................................................... 47 Sampling and analytical procedure .............................................................................. 48 Calculations and statistical analyses ............................................................................ 48 Results .............................................................................................................................. 49 Response of microarthropods to soil pH and soil moisture......................................... 50 Response of microarthropods to presence of litter and roots .................................... 51 Response of microarthropods to mycorrhizal type and identity of roots ................... 55 Response of microarthropods to quality and identity of leaf litter ............................. 56 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 58 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 61 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 61 References ........................................................................................................................ 61 Chapter 4 Species identity and diversity rather than trait similarity affects macrofauna - mesofauna interactions and their importance for ecosystem processes ............................................. 69 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 70 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 71 Material and methods ...................................................................................................... 72 Soil and plant material ................................................................................................. 72 Earthworms and collembolans ..................................................................................... 73 Experimental set up ..................................................................................................... 74 Sampling and analytical procedure .............................................................................. 74 Calculations and statistical analyses ............................................................................ 75 Results .............................................................................................................................. 76 Effects of soil animals and their interactions on leaf litter mass loss .......................... 76 Effects of soil animals and their interactions on 15N cycling ........................................ 76 Soil animal biomass and abundance ............................................................................ 79 15N incorporation into soil animals .............................................................................. 80 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 82 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 84 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 85 References ........................................................................................................................ 86 Chapter 5 General Discussion .......................................................................................................... 89 The role of aboveground and belowground resources for forest soil organisms ........... 90 The importance of litter associated soil animals for ecosystem processes ..................... 92 Species identity, community composition and soil fauna interactions ..........................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 10) Correlation - Methods
    10) Correlation - Methods 10) Correlation – Methods Correlations between structural attributes and arthropod biodiversity were investigated. The results can shed light on the influence of structure and the response of the animals. Using bivariate techniques, the structural descriptors in ten categories were matched against summaries of abundance, richness, diversity, and the abundance of each RTU. NMS vector biplots highlight structural descriptors most strongly correlated with changes in arthropod composition. Mantel tests investigated the strength of the relationship of similarity between trees for structure against the similarity between trees for arthropods. 10.1 Exploring correlations between structure and arthropod biodiversity The effect of crown structure on the trunk and canopy arthropod biodiversity was explored at a tree level. Only information describing each tree was used. No trap or placement level analyses were conducted. The structural descriptors of the tree were considered independent predictors, and tree level arthropod biodiversity descriptors were considered dependent responses. Interpretation of the results must accommodate that several structural descriptors were strongly correlated. For example, mean cone volume corresponds with mean cone surface area. Some descriptors were perfectly correlated. For example, the largest branch airspace was always found in a large branch, and therefore the descriptor of maximum branch airspace for all branches will be the same as the maximum branch airspace for dead branches. Correlation does not equal causation. The correlation of a structural descriptor with any aspect of arthropod biodiversity does necessarily mean the arthropod is responding to that measure. It is possible that the animals are actually responding to cryptic predictors. If these cryptic predictors are themselves correlated with the observed predictor variables, then a potentially misleading predictor-response will be observed.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Are There So Many Exotic Springtails in Australia? a Review
    90 (3) · December 2018 pp. 141–156 Why are there so many exotic Springtails in Australia? A review. Penelope Greenslade1, 2 1 Environmental Management, School of School of Health and Life Sciences, Federation University, Ballarat, Victoria 3353, Australia 2 Department of Biology, Australian National University, GPO Box, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia E-mail: [email protected] Received 17 October 2018 | Accepted 23 November 2018 Published online at www.soil-organisms.de 1 December 2018 | Printed version 15 December 2018 DOI 10.25674/y9tz-1d49 Abstract Native invertebrate assemblages in Australia are adversely impacted by invasive exotic plants because they are replaced by exotic, invasive invertebrates. The reasons have remained obscure. The different physical, chemical and biotic characteristics of the novel habitat seem to present hostile conditions for native species. This results in empty niches. It seems the different ecologies of exotic invertebrate species may be better adapted to colonise these novel empty niches than native invertebrates. Native faunas of other southern continents that possess a highly endemic fauna, such as South America, South Africa and New Zealand, may have suffered the same impacts from exotic species but insufficient survey data and unreliable and old taxonomy makes this uncertain. Here I attempt to discover what particular characteristics of these novel habitats are hostile to native invertebrates. I chose the Collembola as a target taxon. They are a suitable group because the Australian collembolan fauna consists of a high percentage of endemic taxa, but also exotic, non-native, species. Most exotic Collembola species in Australia appear to have originated from Europe, where they occur at low densities (Fjellberg 1997, 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of Springtails (Collembola) from the Republic of Moldova
    Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle © Décembre Vol. LIII pp. 149–160 «Grigore Antipa» 2010 DOI: 10.2478/v10191-010-0011-x CHECKLIST OF SPRINGTAILS (COLLEMBOLA) FROM THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA GALINA BUªMACHIU Abstract. The checklist of Collembola from the Republic of Moldova including 223 species is presented. The list is based on literature sources and personal collecting. Résumé. Ce travail présente la liste des 223 espèces de collemboles de la République de Moldova. Cette liste fut réalisée en utilisant des références littéraires et des collections personnelles. Key words: Collembola, checklist, Republic of Moldova. INTRODUCTION The records on Collembola from the Republic of Moldova started about 50 years ago with the first two species included by Martynova in “The key to insects of the European part of the USSR. Collembola” (1964). Some more information on species diversity of Collembola from the soil of Moldavian vineyards was included in Stegãrescu’s work (1967). During the last twenty years, this group has been studied more systematically, with more than 200 species recorded (Buºmachiu 2001, 2004, 2006 a, b, 2008). Since 2002, eleven species new to science were described from the Republic of Moldova by da Gama & Buºmachiu (2002, 2004); Buºmachiu & Deharveng (2008) and Buºmachiu & Weiner (2008). Until now, the faunistic data on Collembola from the Republic of Moldova have not been summarised in the form of a checklist. The present paper includes the complete list of Collembola from the Republic of Moldova using the modern nomenclature. Totally, 223 species are listed. Some problematic and dubious species, such as Pseudanurida clysmae Jackson, 1927, Onychiurus fimetarius (Linnaeus, 1758) and Orchesella divergens Handschin, 1929 recorded by Stegãrescu (1967) and Pseudosinella wahlgrei Börner, 1907, are not included in the list.
    [Show full text]
  • Collembola Communities in Different Compost Types As Bioindicator of Substrate Quality
    Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi The Special Issue of 2nd International Balkan Agriculture Congress Journal of Tekirdag Agricultural Faculty May 16-18, 2017 Collembola Communities in Different Compost Types as Bioindicator of Substrate Quality Lilyana KOLEVA*, Milena YORDANOVA, Georgi DIMITROV University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria *Corresponding author: [email protected] Geliş Tarihi (Received): 01.03.2017 Kabul Tarihi (Accepted): 15.04.2017 Collembolans are a good indicator of the degree of mineralization and humification of the soil. Their ecological characteristics, habitat and feeding type can help the analysis of composting processes and determining the quality of the resulting substrate. A particular interest is the potential antagonistic effect of compost on soil plant euedaphic life forms pathogens and phytophagous arthropods.The aim of this study was to establish the quality differences between the four types of mature compost by studying the structure of Collembola communities in them. The investigations were carried out with two substrates composed of forest wastes and two substrates composed of agricultural wastes. The difference between the compost types was the origin and size of the substrate particles. The results were obtained by field and laboratory studies. In the studied composts, the identified species were hemiedaphic, euedaphic and atmobiont. Hemiedaphic life forms dominated in the compost of agricultural wastes. The have the highest density into the compost of forest wastes. With regard to food sources the collembolans established species were divided into three ecological functional groups: herbivores, predators and detritivores. The groups of predators and herbivores were the smallest, and the most numerous were the detritivores. The detritivores population was established in high population density in the compost of forest wastes.
    [Show full text]
  • Disturbance and Recovery of Litter Fauna: a Contribution to Environmental Conservation
    Disturbance and recovery of litter fauna: a contribution to environmental conservation Vincent Comor Disturbance and recovery of litter fauna: a contribution to environmental conservation Vincent Comor Thesis committee PhD promotors Prof. dr. Herbert H.T. Prins Professor of Resource Ecology Wageningen University Prof. dr. Steven de Bie Professor of Sustainable Use of Living Resources Wageningen University PhD supervisor Dr. Frank van Langevelde Assistant Professor, Resource Ecology Group Wageningen University Other members Prof. dr. Lijbert Brussaard, Wageningen University Prof. dr. Peter C. de Ruiter, Wageningen University Prof. dr. Nico M. van Straalen, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam Prof. dr. Wim H. van der Putten, Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie, Wageningen This research was conducted under the auspices of the C.T. de Wit Graduate School of Production Ecology & Resource Conservation Disturbance and recovery of litter fauna: a contribution to environmental conservation Vincent Comor Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. dr. M.J. Kropff, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Monday 21 October 2013 at 11 a.m. in the Aula Vincent Comor Disturbance and recovery of litter fauna: a contribution to environmental conservation 114 pages Thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands (2013) With references, with summaries in English and Dutch ISBN 978-94-6173-749-6 Propositions 1. The environmental filters created by constraining environmental conditions may influence a species assembly to be driven by deterministic processes rather than stochastic ones. (this thesis) 2. High species richness promotes the resistance of communities to disturbance, but high species abundance does not.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesofauna at the Soil-Scree Interface in a Deep Karst Environment
    diversity Article Mesofauna at the Soil-Scree Interface in a Deep Karst Environment Nikola Jureková 1,* , Natália Raschmanová 1 , Dana Miklisová 2 and L’ubomír Kováˇc 1 1 Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, SK-04180 Košice, Slovakia; [email protected] (N.R.); [email protected] (L’.K.) 2 Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, SK-04001 Košice, Slovakia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: The community patterns of Collembola (Hexapoda) were studied at two sites along a microclimatically inversed scree slope in a deep karst valley in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia, in warm and cold periods of the year, respectively. Significantly lower average temperatures in the scree profile were noted at the gorge bottom in both periods, meaning that the site in the lower part of the scree, near the bank of creek, was considerably colder and wetter compared to the warmer and drier site at upper part of the scree slope. Relatively high diversity of Collembola was observed at two fieldwork scree sites, where cold-adapted species, considered climatic relicts, showed considerable abundance. The gorge bottom, with a cold and wet microclimate and high carbon content even in the deeper MSS horizons, provided suitable environmental conditions for numerous psychrophilic and subterranean species. Ecological groups such as trogloxenes and subtroglophiles showed decreasing trends of abundance with depth, in contrast to eutroglophiles and a troglobiont showing an opposite distributional pattern at scree sites in both periods. Our study documented that in terms of soil and Citation: Jureková, N.; subterranean mesofauna, colluvial screes of deep karst gorges represent (1) a transition zone between Raschmanová, N.; Miklisová, D.; the surface and the deep subterranean environment, and (2) important climate change refugia.
    [Show full text]
  • ARTHROPODA Subphylum Hexapoda Protura, Springtails, Diplura, and Insects
    NINE Phylum ARTHROPODA SUBPHYLUM HEXAPODA Protura, springtails, Diplura, and insects ROD P. MACFARLANE, PETER A. MADDISON, IAN G. ANDREW, JOCELYN A. BERRY, PETER M. JOHNS, ROBERT J. B. HOARE, MARIE-CLAUDE LARIVIÈRE, PENELOPE GREENSLADE, ROSA C. HENDERSON, COURTenaY N. SMITHERS, RicarDO L. PALMA, JOHN B. WARD, ROBERT L. C. PILGRIM, DaVID R. TOWNS, IAN McLELLAN, DAVID A. J. TEULON, TERRY R. HITCHINGS, VICTOR F. EASTOP, NICHOLAS A. MARTIN, MURRAY J. FLETCHER, MARLON A. W. STUFKENS, PAMELA J. DALE, Daniel BURCKHARDT, THOMAS R. BUCKLEY, STEVEN A. TREWICK defining feature of the Hexapoda, as the name suggests, is six legs. Also, the body comprises a head, thorax, and abdomen. The number A of abdominal segments varies, however; there are only six in the Collembola (springtails), 9–12 in the Protura, and 10 in the Diplura, whereas in all other hexapods there are strictly 11. Insects are now regarded as comprising only those hexapods with 11 abdominal segments. Whereas crustaceans are the dominant group of arthropods in the sea, hexapods prevail on land, in numbers and biomass. Altogether, the Hexapoda constitutes the most diverse group of animals – the estimated number of described species worldwide is just over 900,000, with the beetles (order Coleoptera) comprising more than a third of these. Today, the Hexapoda is considered to contain four classes – the Insecta, and the Protura, Collembola, and Diplura. The latter three classes were formerly allied with the insect orders Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and Thysanura (silverfish) as the insect subclass Apterygota (‘wingless’). The Apterygota is now regarded as an artificial assemblage (Bitsch & Bitsch 2000).
    [Show full text]
  • (Collembola) in Meadows, Pastures and Road Verges in Central Finland
    © Entomologica Fennica. 29 August 2017 Springtails (Collembola) in meadows, pastures and road verges in Central Finland Atte Komonen* & Saana Kataja-aho Komonen, A. & Kataja-aho, S. 2017: Springtails (Collembola) in meadows, pas- tures and road verges in Central Finland. — Entomol. Fennica 28: 157–163. Understanding of species distribution, abundance and habitat affinities is crucial for red-list assessment, conservation and habitat management. In Central Fin- land, we studied Collembola in three habitat types, namely non-grazed meadows, pastures and road verges using pitfall traps. Altogether, 9,630 Collembola indi- viduals were recorded. These belonged to 12 families, 34 genera and 60 species. The number of specimens was clearly higher in meadows than in pastures or road verges. The number of species, however, was higher in meadows and road verges (40 and 39 species, respectively) than in pastures (33 species). The overall spe- cies number is comparable to other large-scale sampling schemes in similar habi- tats. We recorded a few abundant species (Spatulosminthurus flaviceps, Smin- thurus viridis and Sminthurus nigromaculatus) that have been previously re- corded from very different biotopes. In conclusion, biodiversity inventories of soil fauna, as well as other biota, should also include marginal habitats, which of- ten host peculiar communities. A. Komonen, University of Jyväskylä, Department of Biological and Environ- mental Science, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland; *Cor- responding author’s e-mail: [email protected] S. Kataja-aho, University of Jyväskylä, Natural History Museum, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä, Finland; E-mail: [email protected] Received 15 November 2016, accepted 22 December 2016 1.
    [Show full text]
  • The Springtails (Insecta: Collembola) Fauna at Different Microhabitats of Bečići Beach, Montenegro
    UNIVERSITY THOUGHT doi:10.5937/univtho8-14774 Publication in Natural Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2018, pp. 5-9. Original Scientific Paper THE SPRINGTAILS (INSECTA: COLLEMBOLA) FAUNA AT DIFFERENT MICROHABITATS OF BEČIĆI BEACH, MONTENEGRO TATJANA R. JAKŠIĆ1*, PREDRAG S. VASIĆ1, NENAD Đ. LABUS1, OLIVERA M. PAPOVIĆ1, MILOŠ R. STANOJEVIĆ1, NIKOLA N. ĐUKIĆ1 1Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Pristina, Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia ABSTRACT Collembola fauna has been investigated at different microhabitats near the beach in Bečići, Montenegro. Samples were collected from four locations: Hotel “Tara”, “Sveti Toma” Church (St. Thomas), Hotel “Naftagas” and “Zelena Stena” (Green Rock). Each of the location presented different microhabitat: under the palm tree, cypresses tree, larch tree and white pine tree. Samples were taken in May and September 2015 and results presented as qualitative findings. Total number of 30 Collembola species was identified, classified into six families and 17 genera. Representatives of the family Hypogastruridae and Isotomidae were recorded at all of the studied sites, while representatives of the families: Naenuridae, Onychiuridae, Entomobryidae and Sminthuridae were present on some of locations. The biggest number of species and the highest Collembola population density was found at the Green Stone site, 24 species in total, microhabitat- white pine, and the smallest number of species, 6 on site “St. Thomas” Church, microhabitat- cypresses trees. Keywords: Collembola, microhabitats, Bečići Beach, Montenegro. 7 families. 28 species and subspecies are endemic for Serbia INTRODUCTION (12,02%) and 11 for Montenegro (12,36%). Most of the endemic and relict forms live in caves, but some of them inhabits forests Springtails (Insecta: Collembola) communities have been and cultivated steppe.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity and Abundance of Springtails (Insecta: Collembola) in Native and Restored Tallgrass Prairies
    Am. Midl. Nat. 139:235±242 Diversity and Abundance of Springtails (Insecta: Collembola) in Native and Restored Tallgrass Prairies RAYMOND H. BRAND AND CHRISTOPHER P. DUNN The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, Illinois 60532-1293 ABSTRACT.ÐThis study suggests that heterotrophic components of prairie ecosystems can be used with autotrophic components to assess the degree to which a restored prairie ap- proaches the biotic complexity of a native prairie. Springtails (Collembola) were collected from prairie vegetation and litter samples from 13 prairie sites (seven native and six restored) located in southwestern Michigan and northeastern Illinois. The diversity and abundance of these insects and the plant and litter biomass were compared. There were 27 different taxa of springtails in the 225 samples collected. Native prairies had the greatest species richness with 26 species. The oldest restored prairie had 17 species. Three common species were Hypogastrura boletivora, Isotoma viridis, and Lepidocyrtus pallidus. Neanura muscorum, Xenylla grisea, and Pseuduosinella rolfsi were rare. Tomocerus ¯avescens was found primarily in native prairies with only one occurrence in the oldest restored prairie in this study. Native prairies and restored prairies of 17 and 24 yr did not differ signi®cantly in numbers of springtails. Differences in springtail numbers did occur, however, between restored prairies of ,6yr and native prairies, and between younger (,6 yr) and older (17 and 26 yr) restored prairies. An analysis of plant and litter biomass indicated signi®cant differences among the prairie sites sampled. These results suggest that all components of the prairie ecosystem are useful for making restoration management decisions.
    [Show full text]
  • Diversity of Springtail Insects in Restored Prairie
    DIVERSITY OF SPRINGTAIL INSECTS IN RESTORED PRAIRIE A report of research under contract number 113 with the Illinois Department of Conservation, Division of Natural Heritage . A small project proposal funded by the Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund. Dates of project: Prepared by June 30, 1990 - August 31, 1991 Raymond H. Brand The Morton Arboretum Lisle, Illinois 60532 Introduction Prior to human settlement by European Immigrants, much of the mid-western landscape of the United States was dominated by native tall grass prairies . The state of Illinois was approximately eighty-five percent prairie according to a vegetation map of the prairie peninsula (Transeau, 1935) . In recent times, industrialization, transportation routes, agriculture, and an ever expanding human population has now decreased the amount of Illinois prairie to less than five percent (Anderson, 1970) . One response to the disappearance of prairie communities has been the effort to re-establish some of them in protected areas. Both professional ecologists and volunteer, amateur prairie enthusiasts have attempted restorations in many parts of the Midwest One of the largest efforts (over 440 acres) has taken place inside the high energy accelerator ring at the Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois (Betz, 1984) . This paper presents the results of a study on the epigeic springtail insects of the Fermilab restored prairie communities. Some reference to similar continuing studies at nearby native prairies and other restored prairies will also be included (Brand, 1989) . One of the advantages of the Fermilab site is the opportunity to sample a number of adjacent restored prairies in a chronosequence extending over sixteen years within the general context of similar environmental conditions of climate, soil, and fire management regimes.
    [Show full text]
  • Earthworm Excreta Attract Soil Springtails: Laboratory Experiments on Heteromurus Nitidus (Collembola : Entomobryidae) Sandrine Salmon, Jean-François Ponge
    Earthworm excreta attract soil springtails: laboratory experiments on Heteromurus nitidus (Collembola : Entomobryidae) Sandrine Salmon, Jean-François Ponge To cite this version: Sandrine Salmon, Jean-François Ponge. Earthworm excreta attract soil springtails: laboratory ex- periments on Heteromurus nitidus (Collembola : Entomobryidae). Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Elsevier, 2001, 33 (14), pp.1959-1969. 10.1016/S0038-0717(01)00129-8. hal-00501867 HAL Id: hal-00501867 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00501867 Submitted on 20 Aug 2010 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. 1 Earthworm excreta attract soil springtails: laboratory experiments on Heteromurus Nitidus (Collembola: Entomobryidae) Sandrine Salmon, Jean-François Ponge Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire d'Écologie Générale, 4, Avenue du Petit-Château, 91800 Brunoy, France Abstract Microarthropods are often found more abundantly in soils with earthworms than in soils without. Earthworms probably create a favourable environment for microarthropods but few studies have aimed to explain this earthworm effect. The soil collembolan (Hexapoda) Heteromurus nitidus, living in soils at pH > 5 only and thus rich in earthworms, is particularly attracted by earthworms in humus cores. The effect of earthworms on the distribution of H.
    [Show full text]