Abstract
Methods to estimate density of soil-dwelling arthropods efficiently, accurately and continuously are critical for investigating soil biological activity and evaluating soil management practices. Soil-dwelling arthropods are currently monitored manually. This method is invasive, and time- and labor-consuming. Here we describe an infrared opto-electronic sensor for detection of soil microarthropods in the size range of 0.4–10 mm. The sensor is built in a novel microarthropod trap designed for field conditions. It allows automated, on-line, in situ detection and body length estimation of soil microarthropods. In the opto-electronic sensor the light source is an infrared LED. Two plano-convex optical lenses are placed along the virtual optical axis. One lens on the receiver side is placed between the observation space at 0.5–1 times its focal length from the sensor, and another emitter side lens is placed between the observation space and the light source in the same way. This paper describes the setup and operating mechanism of the sensor and the control unit, and through basic tests it demonstrates its potential in automated detection of soil microarthropods. The sensor may be used for monitoring activities, especially for remote observation activities in soil and insect ecology or pest control.
Highlights
There is a strong relationship between diversity, abundance of soil organisms and soil health [1,2].For instance, organic matter decomposition is regulated by a complex food web of soil organisms loss of soil biodiversity can lead to degradation of decomposition
Organic matter decomposition is regulated by a complex food web of soil organisms loss of soil biodiversity can lead to degradation of decomposition
We developed a novel soil probe and sensing system for detecting soil microarthropods, which is embedded in a new system called EDAPHOLOG monitoring System [26]
Summary
There is a strong relationship between diversity, abundance of soil organisms and soil health [1,2].For instance, organic matter decomposition is regulated by a complex food web of soil organisms loss of soil biodiversity can lead to degradation of decomposition. There is a strong relationship between diversity, abundance of soil organisms and soil health [1,2]. One major challenge to measure and monitor abundance and diversity of soil organisms is their strong spatio-temporal heterogeneity [3,4,5]. As a result of the strong interaction between physical, chemical and biological properties of soils, soil organisms are considered highly responsive, sensitive indicators of soil quality. Their abundance is the highest in the leaf litter layer and the upper 10–20 cm of the soil [10,11,12]. One of the four main functional and size groups of soil organisms is the mesofauna (0.2–4 mm) [13], whose abundance
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