Journal ArticleDOI
Soil Organisms as Components of Ecosystems
TLDR
The 6th International Soil Zoology Colloquium held in Uppsala in June 1976 as mentioned in this paper focused on the interactions of plant roots, microorganisms, and soil animals.Abstract:
This book is the Proceedings of the 6th International Soil Zoology Colloquium held in Uppsala in June 1976. The major theme is the interactions of plant roots, microorganisms, and soil animals. Four subthemes were chosen for the plenary sessions. These were: (i) Community structure and niche separation; (ii) The role of soil organisms in nutrient cycling; (iii) Plant roots in the soil system; and (iv) Models of soil organisms and their environment. In addition tothe 51 papers (14, 16, 13, and 8) presented in the above sessions, there are summarized versions of 41 papers given in poster session. The individual papers range from excellent to poor, with about one-fourth in the poor category. About half the remainder are autecological in subject matter treatment and lack the perspective promised in the colloquium title. Most of the papers in the first plenary session are on niche exploitation and responses by members of the soil fauna rather than on their roles as ecosystem components. The papers on nutrient cycling are, with few exceptions, excellent contributions. Particularly commendable is the comprehensive discussion offered by D. E. Reichle. The bulk of the papers in the third session concern either the activities or the effects on plants of rhizophagic invertebrates. Good discussions are given by Vancura and associates on quantitative aspects of root exudation and by Sihanonth and Todd on transfer of nutrients by ectomycorrhizal fungi. Readers expecting to find any noteworthy array of simulation models on soil organisms will be disappointed. Most of the papers in this session might have been placed just as appropriately in some other session. The closing session address by J. E. Satchell is thought-provoking as well asentertaining. The reader, while being told that earthworms are the trombones of the grave, gains the impression that as a group, the soil zoologists are alive and well. Mechanistically the book is soft cover and generally excellently edited. There are about 200 illustrations, mostly line graphs and histograms, but also some light microscope and scanning electron micrographs. Unfortunately, some of the hand-drawn diagrams are so overcrowded with small-scale details as to be practically unreadable. This volume belongs primarily in the personal libraries of invertebrate zoologists. Its reading by systems ecologists and soil scientists will be, in part, time well spent.--FRANCIS E. CLARK, Federal Research, Western Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box E, Fort Collins, CO 80522.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Assessing daily egestion rates in earthworms: using fungal spores as a natural soil marker to estimate gut transit time
TL;DR: Estimating daily soil egestion rates of Aporrectodea caliginosa and Lumbricus terrestris is aimed at refining the most common approach for estimating GTT by using fungal spores as natural markers in ingested soil, with spores being a good alternative to existing markers.
ReportDOI
Earthworms (Annelida: Oligochaeta) of the Columbia River Basin Assessment Area
TL;DR: In this paper, the main issues about the ecology of earthworms and their impact on the physical and chemical status of the soil are summarized, and the effects of land use and management practices on earthworms are explored by examining research on similar human influences in other ecosystems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Predation ofApochthonius minimus (Pseudoscorpionida: Chthoniidae) onFolsomia canadida (Collembola: Isotomidae): I. Predation rate and size-selection
Dan L. Johnson,W. G. Wellington +1 more
TL;DR: The functional response of the predaceous pseudoscorpion to density of the springtail, Folsomia candida, as well as the effects of temperature and prey size on handling time and attack rate were investigated.
Journal ArticleDOI
The feeding activity of invertebrates as a functional indicator in soil
TL;DR: Improvements to the bait-lamina test are recommended, such as performing a preliminary test for the identification of the most appropriate study duration, using a standard bait material, and optimizing the “classic” study design in order to increase the statistical power of the test.
Journal ArticleDOI
Use of X‐ray microcomputed tomography for characterizing earthworm‐derived belowground soil aggregates
Renée-Claire Le Bayon,Claire Guenat,Claire Guenat,Rodolphe Schlaepfer,Rodolphe Schlaepfer,Franziska Fischer,Alexandre Luiset,Alexandre Luiset,Andreas Schomburg,Pascal Turberg,Pascal Turberg +10 more
TL;DR: Results show that X‐ray μCT analysis helps distinguish earthworm aggregates from non‐earthworm ones using (a) the relative volume of the components within aggregates and (b) the volumetric mass of aggregate and their global volume.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Separating root and soil microbial contributions to soil respiration: A review of methods and observations
TL;DR: In this article, three primary methods have been used to distinguish hetero- versus autotrophic soil respiration including integration of components contributing to in situ forest soil CO2 efflux (i.e., litter, roots, soil), comparison of soils with and without root exclusion, and application of stable or radioactive isotope methods.
Journal ArticleDOI
The detrital food web in a shortgrass prairie
H. W. Hunt,David C. Coleman,Elaine R. Ingham,Russell E. Ingham,Edward T. Elliott,John C. Moore,S. L. Rose,C. P. P. Reid,C. R. Morley +8 more
TL;DR: The experimental approach is supplemented with theoretical calculations of nitrogen transformations in a shortgrass prairie, which incorporate a wide array of information on decomposer organisms, including their feeding preferences, nitrogen contents, life spans, assimilation efficiencies, productio:assimilation ratios, decomposabilities, and population sizes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Earthworms increase plant production: a meta- analysis
Jan Willem van Groenigen,Ingrid M. Lubbers,Hannah M. J. Vos,George G. Brown,Gerlinde B. De Deyn,Kees Jan van Groenigen +5 more
TL;DR: It is shown, using meta-analysis, that on average earthworm presence in agroecosystems leads to a 25% increase in crop yield and a 23% increased in aboveground biomass and this suggests that earthworms stimulate plant growth predominantly through releasing nitrogen locked away in residue and soil organic matter.
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The role of proteins in the nitrogen nutrition of ectomycorrhizal plants
TL;DR: It is proposed that the ability of mycorrhizal associations to utilize protein N will lead not only to an increased supply of N to the plant but also to more effective competition with the decomposer population and to an overall tightening of the nitrogen cycle.
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Exotic european earthworm invasion dynamics in northern hardwood forests of minnesota, usa
TL;DR: A succession of earth- worm species across the visible leading edge due to different patterns of colonization by different earthworm species is found, including Lumbricus rubellus which led to the most rapid removal of forest floor material during initial invasion.