Response of soil nematode communities to tree girdling in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest of southwest China

The impact of canopy photosynthates on soil microbial biomass and nematode trophic groups was studied in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest by performing a large-scale tree girdling experiment. Total fungal biomass was unaffected by tree girdling. Bacterial biomass differed significantly between the girdled and control plots in the mineral soil, but was not affected by girdling treatment in the humus layer. Girdling reduced total nematode density in the humus layer. The reduced fungivorous nematode density in girdled plots in the humus layer suggested a modified energy flow through the fungal based pathways. There were no differences in the abundance of bacterial-feeding, herbivorous and omnivorous-predatory nematodes between the girdled and control plots in both humus and mineral soil layers. This study provides direct evidence that the termination of belowground photosynthate-C allocation achieved by tree girdling affects soil nematodes, and that different trophic groups vary in their responses to the reduction of C efflux into the soil.