Article,
Nematode community structure in relation to soil and vegetation characteristics
Applied Soil Ecology, 1 (1): 29-44 (1994)
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that nematodes can contribute to an ecological
soil classification, the nematode fauna of several Dutch terrestrial
habitats was studied. A total of 209 samples from 44 nature reserves
or slightly managed sites (n = 94) differing in vegetation (forest,
shrubs, heathland, grassland) and soil type (clay, loam, sand) were
studied. A selection of sites was studied over four seasons, and
at one site variation in nematode fauna composition as a result of
the selected sampling technique was studied. Nematodes extracted
from bulk soil samples taken from the 0-10 cm depth mineral soil,
and were identified to genus. Multivariate analysis techniques were
used to classify the nematode samples into seven sample groups (SG)
as described by soil characteristics in combination with the vegetation
as follows: (1) SG A grasslands, dwarf-shrub vegetation and forest
gaps on sandy soils; (2) SG B grasslands and forests on clayey soils;
(3) SG C-D deciduous forests on sandy-loam soils; (4) SG E-F deciduous
forests on sandy soils; (5) SG G coniferous forests on sandy soils.
The nematode fauna of SG D-G were very similar, and were dominated
by ten taxa: Acrobeloides, Aphelenchoides, Cephalenchus, Filenchus
A, Filenchus B, Plectus A, Prismatolaimus, Rhabditidae, Tylolaimophorus
and Wilsonema. Variation due to seasonal fluctuations and sampling
technique, was small compared with differences in nematode fauna
structure between different sites. The actual vegetation of some
sites was not in agreement with the natural vegetation expected on
'site characteristics'. Analyses of the nematode fauna supported
the observed inconsistencies between actual and natural vegetation.
It was shown that for a range of terrestrial habitats nematode communities
could be defined, and that these communities could be related to
soil characteristics and vegetation.
