Showing papers by "Richard D. Bardgett published in 1993"
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of different intensities of sheep management on the soil biota were examined on three adjacent uplands grasslands, and the effect of short-term removal of sheep grazing by fenced exclosure was also studied.
150 citations
TL;DR: Laboratory microcosms containing litter from three tussock grasslands were used to assess the impact of grazing by a collembolan on the abundance, nutrient release, and respiration of the saprotrophic fungus, Phoma exigua.
Abstract: Laboratory microcosms containing litter from three tussock grasslands were used to assess the impact of grazing by a collembolan, Onychiurus procampatus, on the abundance, nutrient release, and respiration of the saprotrophic fungus, Phoma exigua. The fungal biomass and respiration rate were significantly reduced only when Collembola were present in excess of mean field densities but perhaps more typical of spatial aggregations in the soil. A high efficiency of nutrient immobilization by P. exigua was demonstrated but nutrient release was not significantly affected by the fauna. Problems associated with the use of microcosms in the simulation of field conditions are discussed.
69 citations
TL;DR: A general trend of an increasing proportion of Collembola with a full gut was found along a gradient of reduced sheep management intensity, which was correlated with increased fungal biomass.
Abstract: Specimens of Onychiurus procampatus (Collembola) observed grazing on fungal mycelia were collected from the surface soil of three differently manged upland grasslands. A general trend of an increasing proportion of Collembola with a full gut was found along a gradient of reduced sheep management intensity, which was correlated with increased fungal biomass. In the laboratory, this collembolan showed a consistent order of preference for the mycelium of seven common fungal species isolated from the field sites.
56 citations
01 Jan 1993
2 citations