Succession of soil nematodes in pine forests on coal-mining sands near Cottbus,Germany

The succession of soil nematodes from initial planting with Pinus sylvestris seedling to about 30-year-old pine plantations on coal mining sands in the Lusatian lignite-mining district near Cottbus (Germany) was studied and compared with the nematode fauna of a 40-year-old semi-natural pine forest on naturally formed sandy soil. The initial stage was primarily characterised by a very low abundance (20×10³ individuals/m²), which increased over a period of two years to values common in older pine plantations (500–600×10³ individuals/m²). In the semi-natural forest the mean abundance of nematodes was about 1300×10³ individuals/m². Populations of Tardigrada, Rotifera and Enchytraeidae also increased with stand age. Nematode biomass increased from 49 to 543 mg m⁻² in pine plantations and slightly decreased in the semi-natural forest to 301 mg m⁻² over the period of investigation. The early colonisation of the initial stage was by bacterivorous (Acrobeloides) and fungal feeding (Aphelenchoides) nematodes, but the communities diversified as succession progressed with bacterivorous nematodes of the genera Plectus, Wilsonema and Metateratocephalus, root-fungal feeding Filenchus, omnivorous Aporcelaimellus and Eudorylaimus, and predacious Prionchulus becoming abundant. The abundance of plant-parasitic nematodes was very low. The greatest number of nematode genera was found in the semi-natural forest.