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  • 1
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: enclosure ; grazing ; nematodes ; nutrient mineralization ; porous environment
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The porous soil environment constrains grazing of microorganisms by microbivorous nematodes. In particular, at matric potentials at which water-filled pore spaces have capillary diameters less than nematode body diameters the effect of grazing, e.g. enhanced mineralization, should be reduced ('exclusion hypothesis') because nematodes cannot access their microbial forage. We examined C and N mineralization, microbial biomass C (by fumigation-extraction), the metabolic quotient (C mineralization per unit biomass C), nematode abundance, and soil water content in intact soil cores from an old field as a function of soil matric potential (−3 to −50 kPa). We expected, in accordance with the exclusion hypothesis, that nematode abundance, N and C mineralization would be reduced as matric potential decreased, i.e. as soils became drier. N mineralization was significantly greater than zero for −3 kPa but not for −10, −20 and −50 kPa. Microbial biomass C was less at −50 kPa than at −10 kPa, but not significantly different from biomass C at −3 and −20 kPa. The metabolic quotient was greatest at −50 kPa than any of the other matric potentials. From the exclusion hypothesis we expected significantly fewer nematodes to be present at −50 and −20 kPa representing water-filled capillary pore sizes less than 6 and 15 μm, respectively, than at −3 and −10 kPa. Microbivorous (fungivorous+bacterivorous) nematode abundance per unit mass of soil was not significantly different among matric potentials. Body diameters of nematodes ranged from 9 μm to 40 μm. We discuss several alternatives to the exclusion hypothesis, such as the 'enclosure hypothesis' which states that nematodes may become trapped in large water-filled pore spaces even when capillary pore diameters (as computed from matric potential) are smaller than body diameters. One of the expected outcomes of grazing in enclosures is the acceleration of nutrient cycling.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: anhydrobiosis ; trophic diversity ; ecosystem function ; free-living nematodes ; mineralization ; pore size distribution ; redundancy hypothesis
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract The influence of soil matric potential on nematode community composition and grazing associations were examined. Undisturbed cores (5 cm diameter, 10 cm depth) were collected in an old field dominated by perennial grasses on a Hinckley sandy loam at Peckham Farm near Kingston, Rhode Island. Ten pairs of cores were incubated at −3, −10, −20 and −50 kPa matric potential after saturation for 21–28 or 42–58 days. Nematodes were extracted using Cobb's decanting and sieving method followed by sucrose centrifugal-flotation and identified to family or genus. Collembola and enchytraeids present were also enumerated because they are grazers that reside in air-filled spaces. Direct counts of bacteria and fungi were made to estimate biovolume using fluorescein isothiocyanate and fluorescein diacetate stains, respectively. Trophic diversity and maturity indices were calculated for nematode communities. Three patterns of matric potential effect were observed for nematode taxa. One, there was a consistent effect of matric potential for all seasons for Alaimus, Monhysteridae, Prismatolaimus, Paraxonchium and Dorylaimoides. Two, some effects of matric potential were consistent among seasons and other effects were inconsistent for Aphelenchoides, Aphelenchus, Cephalobidae, Coomansus, Eudorylaimus, Huntaphelenchoides, Panagrolaimidae, Paraphelenchus, Sectonema, and Tripyla. Third, effects of matric potential were always inconsistent among seasons for Aphanolaimus, Aporcelaimellus, Bunonema, Rhabditidae, and Tylencholaimus. As predicted, fungal and bacterial biomass responded oppositely to matric potential. Total bacterial biomass was greater at −3 kPa than −10, −20 and −50 kPa (P=0.0095). Total fungal biomass was greater at −50, −20 and −10 kPa than −3 kPa (P=0.0095). Neither bacterial-feeding, fungal-feeding nor predacious nematodes correlated significantly with bacterial or fungal biomass. Omnivorous and predacious nematodes correlated positively with number of bacterial-feeding nematodes; predacious nematodes also correlated positively with fungal-feeding nematodes. Numbers of Collembola and enchytraeids were more often correlated positively with microbial-grazing nematode numbers in drier than moist soils. From this study, we propose two mechanisms that may explain nematode community structure changes with matric potential: differential anhydrobiosis and/or enclosure hypotheses. The later suggests that drying of soil generates pockets of moisture in aggregates that become isolated from one another enclosing nematodes and their food in relatively high concentrations creating patches of activity separated by larger areas of inactivity.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1573-5036
    Keywords: diversity index ; maturity index ; power curve ; semi-variogram ; variance component
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
    Notes: Abstract Whole nematode communities, extracted from soil samples taken from agricultural fields, were enumerated by taxonomic family and trophic group (i.e., bacterivores, fungivores, omnivores, plant-parasites, and predators) to evaluate nematode community structure as an indicator for monitoring ecological condition of soil. No differences were found in mixing treatments or methods of packing or shipping samples. However, extraction using Cobb's sifting and gravity method, followed by sucrose centrifugation, gave greater recovery of free-living nematodes than elutriation followed by sucrose centrifugation. Population means and variance of the sampled area were similar when sampled using different strategies for collecting soil samples within fieds, including several patterns, directions and repetitions of transects. Components of variation associated with ratios among the five trophic groups of nematodes and selected indices of community structure were quantified as variation among regions, among counties, among agricultural fields (2-ha area), among transects within agricultural fields, and within composite soil samples. The variance component for'within composite soil samples' was relatively large compared to the other components of variance. Variation within composite soil samples was less for maturity indices (based on life-history strategy characteristics), ratio of bacterivores to plant-parasites, sum of bacterivores and fungivores, populations of plant-parasites, and populations of bacterivores than for trophic diversity indices, populations of fungivores, populations of omnivores, populations of predators, or the ratio of fungivores to bacterivores. With a single composite sample per field, the ability to differentiate ecological condition of soils among fields within a region improved if the variance among and within fields exceeded the variance within composite samples. Given the variance components, power curves indicated that detection of a 10% change (with 0.8 power) in the ecological condition of soils within a region between two time periods would require sampling a minimum of 25 and 50 fields with one composite soil sample analyzed per field for the maturity and trophic diversity index, respectively. More than 100 fieldsper region would be required to detect temporal change in populations of individual trophic groups. Biplots of maturity indices, but not of trophic diversity or populations of individual trophic groups, identified clear differences among fields. Thus, maturity indices, which differentiated among sampling sites better and more efficiently than trophic diversity indices or measures based on populations of individual trophic groups, may be appropriate for use in a regional and/or national monitoring program.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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