Earthworms and Plant Residues Modify Nematodes in Tropical Cropping Soils (Madagascar): A Mesocosm Experiment

Free-living nematodes present several characteristics that have led to their use as bioindicators of soil quality. Analyzing the structure of nematofauna is a pertinent way to understand soil biological processes. Earthworms play an important role in soil biological functioning and organic matter dy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied and Environmental Soil Science 2010-01, Vol.2010 (2010), p.65-71
Main Authors: Villenave, Cécile, Rabary, Bodo, Kichenin, Emilie, Djigal, Djibril, Blanchart, Eric
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community structure
Decomposition
Environmental Sciences
Experiments
Nematoda
Nematodes
Organic matter
Oryza sativa
Pontoscolex corethrurus
Residues
Rice
Soil erosion
Soil microorganisms
Soil quality
Soil sciences
Soil surfaces
Soils
Soybeans
Worms
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Summary:Free-living nematodes present several characteristics that have led to their use as bioindicators of soil quality. Analyzing the structure of nematofauna is a pertinent way to understand soil biological processes. Earthworms play an important role in soil biological functioning and organic matter dynamics. Their effects on soil nematofauna have seldom been studied. We studied the effect of the tropical endogeic earthworm, Pontoscolex corethrurus, on nematode community structure in a 5-month field mesocosm experiment conducted in Madagascar. Ten different treatments with or without earthworms and with or without organic residues (rice, soybean) were compared. Organic residues were applied on the soil surface or mixed with the soil. The abundance of nematodes (bacterial and fungal feeders) was higher in presence of P. corethrurus than in their absence. The type of plant residues as well as their localisation had significant effects on the abundance and composition of soil nematodes. The analysis of nematode community structure showed that earthworm activity led to an overall activation of the microbial compartment without specific stimulation of the bacterial or fungal compartment.
ISSN:1687-7667
1687-7675
DOI:10.1155/2010/323640