Dispersal of microarthropods in forest soil

This experiment was a part of a research on the soil community in anthropogenous birch stands in Finland. In that study it was found that communities of Collembola are similar in birch stands of different origin (cultivated field or spruce forest), while the communities of Oribatida are essentially different. When compared to original spruce forest, the communities of both groups are different.Cultivation eliminates the populations of most microarthropod species, that have to disperse after reforestation from the surrounding areas. The aim of the experiment was to study the ambulatory dispersal of soil microarthropods. It was carried out in plastic boxes filled with an intact block of defaunated surface soil taken from a birch stand that was established ca. 30 years earlier on a cultivated field. A strip of intact spruce forest soil was placed at one end of the boxes to harbour the source populations. At the opposite end we placed a row of pitfall traps. Soil samples were taken every two weeks at increasing distances from the source soil using a metal corer, and animals were extracted in a high gradient apparatus. The pitfalls were also emptied every two weeks. The experiment lasted for ten weeks.Pitfall and soil sample data gave an estimation of the maximum dispersal rate for each species or genus. The distance that the populations could potentially disperse in 30 years (age of the stand) indicated that some, but not all of the species could have actively migrated to the central parts of the birch stand (30 m).     

Life-history tactics of soil microarthropods

A sound basis for defining life-history tactics was obtained by reviewing life-history traits. This involved an explanation of the ecological implications of thelytoky (automictic or apomictic), arrhenotoky, amphitoky, sexual reproduction, semelparity, iteroparity, seasonal iteroparity, and the relationship between semelparity and juvenile development. Several forms of synchronization of life cycles with environmental conditions were classified, ranging from the ability to overcome harsh seasonal conditions to obligate diapause dormancy. Ecologically, this involves adaptations to environmental conditions ranging from irregularly occurring and unpredictable events to regularly occurring and predictable conditions. Dispersal traits were grouped as directional migration (phoresy) and undirectional migration (anemochory). Distinctions were made between facultative and obligate phoresy and between carrier-specific and carrier-unspecific phoresy. A multi-dimensional system of tactics was outlined, based on well-defined underived traits. This system was compared with one- and two-dimensional schemes described by MacArthur and Wilson (1967), Grime (1977), and Southwood (1977) and with the multi-dimensional system described by Stearns (1976). For each tactic, relationships with the main biotopes in which it occurs were defined. Examples of species showing certain tactics were selected from the taxonomic orders of microarthropods. The generality of the traits for various groups of organisms and of the classification of life-history tactics developed was explored.     

Effects of a sulfonylurea herbicide on soil microarthropods

 The short-term effects on soil microarthropods of the herbicide triasulfuron, belonging to the chemical class of sulfonylureas, were evaluated in two fields which had never been treated with sulfonylureas, and were cultivated with winter wheat. In particular, the effects of single applications at rates corresponding to two- (rate 2) and sixfold (rate 6) the recommended agricultural rate (7.5 g active ingredient ha^–1) were analysed and compared with controls. The changes in the populations of the main groups of microarthropods were evaluated. Rate 2 had very low effects, whereas rate 6 produced a significant decrease in the number of microarthropods, Acarina and Collembola in the surface soil layer (0–7.5 cm). The Collembola were analysed at the species level. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences only for a few species, and only after treatment with the highest rate of triasulfuron. Finally, the results of the field tests were compared to those of laboratory tests carried out previously, which examined the effects of the same herbicide on a collembolan species. Received: 11 November 1998     

Influence of earthworm middens on the distribution of soil microarthropods

Summary Earthworm middens and non-midden soil were sampled for microarthropods in a mowed recreational field and and adjacent woodlot site. Samples were taken in fall 1983 and spring 1984. The earthworm middens of the mowed field supported a higher density of micrarthropods (especially Collembola and prostigmatid mites) than adjacent non-midden soil. This positive midden effect in the mowed field was more pronounced in the fall than in the spring. Woodlot earthworm middens examined in the fall had lower densities of microarthropods (especially oribatid mites) than adjacent non-midden soi, but in the spring woodlot middens supported greater densities of microarthropods (especially Collembola) than adjacent, non-midden soil.     

Responses of soil microarthropods to changes in soil water availability in tallgrass prairie

 Changes in precipitation and soil water availability predicted to accompany global climate change would impact grasslands, where many ecosystem processes are influenced by water availability. Soil biota, including microarthropods, also are affected by soil water content, although little is known about how climate change might affect their abundance and distribution. The goal of this study was to examine soil microarthropod responses to altered soil water availability in tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Two separate experiments were done. The first utilized control and irrigated plots along a topographic gradient to examine the effects of soil water content on microarthropod densities. Microarthropods, mainly Acari, were significantly less abundant in irrigated plots and were generally less abundant at the wetter lowland sites. The second study utilized reciprocal core transplants across an east-west regional precipitation gradient. Large, intact cores were transplanted between a more mesic tallgrass site (Konza Prairie) and a more arid mixed-grass site (Hays) to determine the effects of different soil water regimes on microarthropod abundance and vertical distribution. Data from non-transplanted cores indicated greater total microarthropod densities at the drier Hays site, relative to the wetter Konza Prairie site. Data from the transplanted cores indicated significant effects of location on Acari densities in cores originating from Hays, with higher densities in cores remaining at Hays, relative to those transplanted to Konza. Acari densities in cores originating from Konza were not affected by location; however, oribatid mite densities generally were greater in cores remaining at Konza Prairie. These results confirm the importance of soil water content in affecting microarthropod densities and distributions in grasslands, and suggest complex, non-linear responses to changes in water availability. Received: 14 April 1998     

Impact of artificial root exudates on the bacterial community structure in bulk soil and maize rhizosphere

Bacterial densities, metabolic signatures and genetic structures were evaluated to measure the impact of soil enrichment of soluble organic carbon on the bacterial community structures. The exudates chosen were detected in natural maize exudates (glucose, fructose, saccharose, citric acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, alanine, serine and glutamic acid) and were used at a rate of 100 μg C g⁻¹ day⁻¹ for 14 days. Moreover two synthetic solutions with distinct carbon/nitrogen ratios (20.5 and 40.1), obtained by varying carboxylic and amino acids concentrations, were compared in order to evaluate the potential role of organic N availability. The in vitro experiment consisted of applying exudate solutions to bulk soil. In the case of the control, only distilled water was added. Both solutions significantly increased bacterial densities and modified the oxidation pattern of Biolog® GN2 plates with no effect of the C/N ratio on these two parameters. Genetic structure, measured by means of ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA), was also consistently modified by the organic amendments. N availability levels led to distinct genetic structures. In a second experiment, one of the previous exudate solutions (C/N 20.5) was applied to 15-day-old maize plants to determine the structural influence of exudates on the rhizosphere microbial community (in situ experiment). Bacterial densities were significantly increased, but to a lesser extent than had been found in the in vitro experiment. Metabolic potentials and RISA profiles were also significantly modified by the organic enrichment.     

Impact of earthworms on the diversity of microarthropods in a vertisol (Martinique)

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. Received: 7 February 1997     

Effect of various mulches on soil microarthropods under a maize crop

Soil microarthropod populations in maize plots mulched with the prunings of three woody agroforestry plant residues (Acioa barteri, Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala) and two crop residues [maize (Zea mays) stover (leaves and stems) and rice (Oryza sativa) straw] were monitored throughout the 1991 growing season and compared with those in fallow, bare fallow and unmulched control plots with three rates of nitrogen application. The mean densities of detritivore and phytophage microarthropods in the experimental plots decreased in the following order: rice straw > Gliricidia prunings > Leucaena prunings > maize stover > Acioa prunings > control 2 (90 kg N ha^-1 year^-1) > fallow > control 3 (135 N) > control 1 (45N) > bare fallow. Mulching also affected the population dynamics of predatory microarthropods and omnivorous ants. The chemical composition of plant residues probably influenced the densities of detritivore and phytophage microarthropods, which in addition were also greatly influenced by microclimatic conditons imposed by vegetation cover. Extremely low densities of microarthropods were recorded in the bare fallow plots probably as a result of the combined effects of absence of plant residues and vegetation cover. The potential of mulching as a component of farming practice for increasing the density of microarthropods and for influencing their species composition and population dynamics in agroecosystems is discussed.     

The short-term effects of endosulfan discharges on eucalypt floodplain soil microarthropods

The insecticide endosulfan is extensively used in the Australian cotton growing industry. Irrigation tailwater contaminated with endosulfan is released onto floodplains to avoid direct entry into river systems where endosulfan is highly toxic to fish. We examined the short-term effects of endosulfan, at levels likely to be present in tailwaters, on soil arthropods on such a floodplain near Moree, NSW. The study consisted of four treatments: a dry control (replicates untreated), wet control (replicates flooded with water only), 1 μg/l endosulfan and 10 μg/l endosulfan. Treatments were applied in the middle of summer and soil invertebrate samples were taken 1 week, 1 month and 2 months following treatment. Invertebrates were sorted to order level and oribatid mites to species. Endosulfan sulphate was detected in all treatments, including the two controls, most likely the result of spray drift. The focus of the experiment was therefore to explore the short-term impacts of endosulfan contaminated tailwater on communities that had been previously exposed to endosulfan. More than 7700 arthropods were collected from a total sample area of 0.336 m². The dominant groups were the prostigmatid and oribatid mites (35 species), collembolans and hemipterans. Our analyses did not detect any short-term effect of the endosulfan treatments on the number of individuals, spatial aggregations or community structure of the soil fauna. There were clear responses to changes in soil moisture related to treatment applications. The study, therefore, made two important findings: (1) a diverse and abundant soil fauna persists on floodplains exposed to endosulfan contaminated tailwater, and (2) this diverse and abundant soil fauna were unaffected by the addition of endosulfan at concentrations common to tailwater run-off from cotton fields. There is clearly a need to determine whether these findings can be extended to soil arthropod biodiversity in areas previously unexposed to endosulfan.     

Temperature tolerance in soil microarthropods: Simulation of forest-fire heating in the laboratory

Forest fires markedly reduce the abundance of surface-dwelling soil animals; animal densities also decline in soil layers underlying the char layer. The aim of the present study was to determine lethal temperatures for different species within the more abundant microarthropod groups in boreal forests, namely Collembola, Protura, Mesostigmata and Oribatida. In the laboratory, forest soil humus containing naturally occurring microarthropods was heated in plastic bags to avoid desiccation. Each sample was heated to one of 11 different temperatures between 20 and 60 °C for 1, 4, or 12 h. At the 1-h exposure, 36 °C was the highest temperature tolerated before significant decreases in numbers were detected. The corresponding temperatures after 4- and 12-h exposures were 34 °C for Oribatida and 30–32 °C for Collembola, Protura and Mesostigmata, respectively. Individual species responded differently, and the most heat-tolerant species within Oribatida was Tectocepheus velatus (40 °C at 4-h exposure) while Friesea mirabilis and Mesaphorura sp. (36 °C at 4-h exposure) were the most tolerant within Collembola. During a forest fire, temperatures higher than those tolerated by the investigated groups and species may well be reached.     

不同农田生态系统土壤微生物生物量碳的变化研究

试验研究不同农田生态系统土壤微生物生物量碳的变化结果表明,长期单施N、P肥处理对土壤有机碳和微生物生物量碳的影响不明显,施有机肥处理土壤微生物生物量碳及微生物生物量碳/有机碳值均高于其他施肥处理,轮作中引入豆科作物或豆科连作均对土壤微生物生物量碳的积累有显著作用。     

Effect of soil heating on the dynamics of soil available nutrients in the rhizosphere

The effect of soil heating on the dynamics of soil available nutrients in the rhizosphere was evaluated. A pot experiment was carried out by using a rhizobox; a pot which enables to sample soils and soil solutions not only temporally with plant growth but also spatially depending on the distance from the root-accumulating compartment. The experiment consisted of 4 treatments; soils with or without heating treatment (150°C, 3 h), each of which was either planted with maize (Zea mays L.) or not. During the 17-d experiment, soil solutions at 0–2 mm from the root-accumulating compartment were collected 5 times. Soils depending on the distance from the root-accumulating compartment and plants were also collected after the experiment. The ionic concentrations of the soil solutions and soil water extracts, and the nutrient contents of plants were analyzed. Immediately after soil heating, the concentrations of cations, SO₄ ^2-, CI^-, water-soluble P, and water-soluble organic carbon increased significantly. With plant growth, the total ionic concentration in the rhizosphere soil solution increased for heated soil, whereas it decreased for unheated soil. The increase of the concentrations of cations and SO₄ ^2- in the rhizosphere of heated soil was appreciable, suggesting that the movement of cations such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ by mass flow was regulated by that of SO₄ ^2-. Moreover soil heating inhibited nitrification, resulting in the supply of N mainly in the form of NH₄ ⁺ within 10 mm from the root-accumulating compartment. As a result, the soil pH decreased in the rhizosphere of heated soil. The amount of nutrients absorbed by plants, on the other hand, did not change significantly by soil heating except for an increase of P uptake. The increase of P uptake could be explained not only by the immediate increase of the water-soluble P concentration but also by the dissolution of Ca-bound P and the hydrolysis of water-soluble organic P in the rhizosphere.     

Microplastics in agroecosystems: A review of effects on soil biota and key soil functions

Contamination of soils in agroecosystems with microplastics (MPs) is of increasing concern. The contamination of the environment/farmland soils with MPs (1 µm to 5 mm sized particles) and nanoplastics (NPs; <1 µm sized particles) is causing numerous effects on ecological soil functions and human health. MPs enter the soil via several sources, either from intentional plastic use (e.g., plastic mulch, plastic greenhouses, plastic-coated products) or indirectly from the input of sewage sludge, compost, or irrigation water that is contaminated with plastic. Once in the soil, plastic debris can have various impacts such as changes in soil functions and physicochemical properties and it affects soil organisms due to its toxic behavior. This review paper describes the different effects of plastic waste to understand the consequences for agricultural productivity. Furthermore, we identify knowledge gaps and highlight the required approaches, indicating future research directions on sources, transport, and fate of MPs in soils to improve our understanding of various unspecified abiotic and biotic impacts of MP pollution in agroecosystems.     

Allowable soil erosion rates in Georgia

A procedure was proposed for the determination of the maximum allowable soil disturbance in Georgia in order to develop a strategy of soil conservation and restoration. The allowable soil losses were calculated within the risk limits of 0.01 < r < 0.1. The lower and upper limits of the allowable soil loss were determined for the soils of different thicknesses. To compare the rates of the soil erosion, one uses the erosion index: the ratio between the actual erosion rate and its maximum allowable value. The actual erosion rate is determined from erosion equations, in which the integrated parameters of the soil loss tolerance include the permissible flow velocity and data on the climatic and soil conditions. From the estimated allowable soil erosion rates, criteria of decision making can be formulated for substantiating the strategy of soil conservation or restoration.     

Quantitative assessment of soil erodibility on the ameliorated lands in Georgia

The erodibility of ameliorated lands in administrative regions of Georgia has been estimated. A Universal Soil Loss Equation modified at the Problem Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Channel Processes of Moscow State University has been used to predict the soil loss. The erodible ameliorated lands of Georgia are specified into three categories: slightly erodible (19% or 304 000 ha), moderately erodible (5% or 80 000 ha), and strongly erodible (76% or 1 194 000 ha). About 510 000 ha of ameliorated lands in Georgia are subjected to wind erosion of different intensities: slight (43% or 220 000 ha), moderate (44% or 224 000 ha), and high (13% or 66 000 ha). The ameliorated lands of Georgia also include 184 000 ha of potentially erodible irrigated lands specified into slightly erodible (91% or 167 000 ha) and moderately erodible (9% or 17 000 ha). Areas with highly erodible irrigated soils have not been revealed.     

保护性耕作对太行山前平原土壤质量的影响

保护性耕作被认为是华北平原农业可持续发展的重要措施, 但目前缺乏这些措施对土壤质量影响的系统报道。本研究以长期定位试验为基础, 探讨了太行山前平原两熟制高产农田不同耕作措施对麦田土壤质量的影响。试验始于2001 年, 设置翻耕玉米秸秆不还田(非保护性耕作对照, CK)、翻耕玉米秸秆粉碎还田(CT)、旋耕玉米秸秆粉碎还田(RT)和免耕玉米秸秆直立还田(NT)4 个处理。2007 年冬小麦收获后分层测定土壤有机碳(soil organic carbon, SOC)含量、容重(ρ_b)、水稳性团聚体、水分特征曲线、饱和导水率(K_s)和微生物量碳氮。2008 年测定了剖面SOC 含量、ρ_b 和蚯蚓数量。结果表明, 连续多年保护性耕作后土壤剖面的SOC 储量无显著变化, 但保护性耕作(RT 和NT)下SOC 的层化比率(1.74~2.04)显著高于翻耕处理(CK 和CT, 1.37~1.45); 保护性耕作显著提高了表层微生物量碳、氮含量以及单位面积土壤中的蚯蚓数量。NT 处理导致耕层(0~20 cm)土壤ρ_b 增加, 但提高了土壤团聚体的稳定性。CK 和CT 处理显著增加了0~5 cm 土层裂隙(>500 μm)和传输孔隙(500~50 μm)的比例, 而NT 处理则增加储水孔隙(50~0.5 μm)的含量。另外, 保护性耕作提高了土壤的K_s、田间持水量和有效水含量。对土壤质量指标S 的分析结果表明, 实施保护性耕作后, 太行山前平原地区土壤质量总体上得到改善。     

EM对连作大蒜根际土壤微生物和酶活性的影响

采用盆栽试验,研究了EM (Effective Microorganisms)对连作大蒜不同发育期干物质累积量,土壤微生物数量和酶活性的影响。结果表明,与对照相比,EM对土壤细菌、真菌和过氧化氢酶活性促进率随大蒜发育期均呈现先升后降的趋势,在蒜薹伸长期达到最大值;对硫化细菌和酚分解菌促进率最大值均出现在鳞茎膨大期;对氨化细菌和硝化细菌的促进率最大值分别出现在分化期和幼苗期。EM对放线菌、土壤多酚氧化酶、脲酶和磷酸酶活性促进率随发育期的延长而呈现持续上升的趋势。EM处理有利于改善土壤微生物群落结构,提高土壤微生物数量和土壤酶活性,增加干物质的累积量。     

Cover crops alter the soil nematode food web in banana agroecosystems

Cover crops are increasingly being used in agriculture, primarily for weed or erosion management. The addition of cover crops increases the primary productivity of the system and diversifies basal resources for higher trophic levels. How increases in the quality and quantity of basal resources affect bottom-up and top-down control remains a key question in soil food web ecology. We evaluated the response of the nematode community to the introduction of cover crops between rows of a banana plantation. We measured changes in nematode food web structure and inferred the prevalence of bottom-up and top-down effects on the abundance of phytophagous nematodes (i.e., plant-feeding and root-hair-feeding species) 1.5 years after plots with cover crops (Poaceae or Fabaceae species) or bare soil were established. The addition of a cover crop greatly affected the structure and the abundance of the soil nematode community 1.5 years after planting. The abundance of all trophic groups except for plant-feeding nematodes tended to increase with the addition of cover crops. The Shannon–Weaver diversity index and the enrichment index increased with the addition of cover crops, indicating that opportunistic, bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes benefited from the added resources. Plant-feeding nematodes were least abundant in plots with Poaceae cover crops, while bacterivorous, omnivorous, and root-hair-feeding nematodes were more abundant with Fabaceae cover crops than with bare soil, indicating that cover crop identity or quality greatly affected soil food web structure. Bottom-up effects on all trophic groups other than plant-feeding nematodes were evident with Poaceae cover crops, suggesting an top-down control of plant-feeding nematodes by omnivorous nematodes. Conversely, plant-feeding nematodes were evidently not suppressed in Fabaceae cover crops, perhaps because bottom-up effects on omnivorous nematodes were weaker (hence, top-down control by omnivorous nematodes was weaker), and because Fabaceae cover crops probably served as good hosts for some plant-feeding nematodes.     

Effects of soil microarthropods on plant litter decomposition across an elevation gradient in the Wuyi Mountains

Soil microarthropods are considered to be among the strongest determinants of plant litter decomposition in warm, humid sites. Little is known, however, about the regulation of plant litter decomposition dynamics along an elevation gradient in such sites. Our study examined the contributions of soil microarthropods to leaf litter decomposition of a single substrate (Castanopsis carlesii) along an elevation gradient across four types of zonal vegetations in southeastern China: evergreen broadleaf forest (EVB): coniferous forest (COF): dwarf forest (DWF): and alpine meadow (ALM) during April 2007 to March 2008. Leaf litter decomposition of C. carlesii was significantly accelerated by the presence of fauna in all four sites. After 360 days in the field, mass loss rates with the full decomposer assemblage and in the reduction of microarthropods were 62.9% and 41.2% in EVB, 48.1% and 30.6% in COF, 36.4% and 27.8% in DWF, 30.3% and 23.7% in ALM, respectively. The percentage of total decomposition due to the presence of soil fauna was 37% in EVB, 25% in COF, 12% in DWF, and 8% in ALM, thus showing strong systematic variation along the elevational gradient. The mass losses in control plots at the four sites were significantly correlated with the abundances of total Acari, Collembolans, and Mesostigmata mites. Although the proportion of Oribatid mites at EVB was not the highest among the four sites, there were elevated proportions of Mesostigmatid and Prostigmata mites, many of which were microbe-consuming species and induce an indirect influence on litter decomposition. Moreover, Shannon Index (F = 2.455, p = 0.093) and Group Number (F = 5.830, p = 0.005) both decreased along the elevation gradients. Mass losses were also found to be distinctively related to H′ (r² = 0.984, p = 0.016), and GN (r² = 0.952, p = 0.048) across the four sites. Our results suggest that the faunal contribution to plant litter decomposition varies markedly across environmental gradients that differ in litter faunal diversity.