Influence of Collembola on nitrogen mineralization varies with soil moisture content

Abstract

Changes in soil moisture determine the reproductive, respiratory, and metabolic activities of soil microorganisms and hence the rate of microbial nitrogen (N) mineralization. Soil moisture also affects the feeding activity and movement of soil invertebrates. Bacterial and fungal grazing by soil invertebrates such as Collembola and nematodes is known to increase N mineralization by increasing the reproductive, respiratory, and metabolic activities of microorganisms. Therefore, to assess the effect of soil moisture on N mineralization, faunal responses need to be considered. We used microcosms to investigate the effect of soil moisture on N mineralization mediated by a species of Collembola, Folsomia candida Willem. We used four moisture levels corresponding to matric potentials of −42.5, −11.8, −0.8, and −0.5 kPa and investigated the effects of these on Collembola with respect to feeding activity, growth, and contribution to N mineralization. The microbial biomass and ratio of bacterial to fungal biomass tended to increase with increasing soil moisture. Collembola feeding activity and growth increased with increasing soil moisture conditions. Collembola significantly enhanced N mineralization in soil at water potentials of −11.8 and −0.5 kPa. The greatest relative increase in N mineralization attributed to Collembola occurred in the −11.8 kPa treatment. The change in contribution of the Collembola to N mineralization with soil moisture was most likely induced by changes in Collembola feeding activity and microbial community structure. The growth in body length of the Collembola was significantly greater at higher moisture conditions than at the lowest moisture condition, indicating that increases in both metabolic activity and biomass of the Collembola population contributed to the enhanced N mineralization.