Abstract
The numbers and biomasses of soil invertebrates were investigated in a reserved field in central Finland. Samples were taken monthly from June to September. Five methods were employed to extract the animals from the soil samples. The animals were counted, measured and their dry biomasses were estimated by body length/weight regressions and dry weight/wet weight ratios derived from the literature. In July the total biomass of the soil invertebrate community (excluding Protozoa, Tardigrada and Rotatoria) was about 9.6 g dry weight m-2. The most dominant groups were Lumricidae (73.1 %), Enchytraeidae (5,7 %), Oribatei (5.0 %), and Nematoda (4.4 %). In September the biomass of Diptera larvae was high (1.0 g dw m-2). In numbers nematodes were superior (maximum 12 million m-2) to other groups. Oribatei, Mesostigmata and Collembola were more concentrated to the soil surface than other Acari, Enchytraeidae and Nematoda. The mean individual size decreased with depth in all of the studied groups.
Highlights
During the last fifteen years far more quantitative studies of soil animals have been published than earlier
The extraction methods used in this study are considered very efficient (e.g. Huhta and Koskenniemi 1975)
The extractor for Lumbricidae is more efficient for small worms than the methods used in many of the earlier studies
Summary
During the last fifteen years far more quantitative studies of soil animals have been published than earlier. The main reason for this is, in addition to the better understanding of the importance of soil animals in litter break-down processes, in the rapid developement and evaluation of extraction methods The almost total death of above-ground vegetation in the autumn is characteristic of temperate grasslands. This organic material together with dead parts of underground vegetation is the primary energy source for decomposers living in litter and soil. The actual decomposition of organic compounds is mostly performed by soil bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, which in turn are an important source of food to soil animals (Burges and Raw 1967). The amount of organic material available to decomposers is much higher in reserved fields and natural grassland habitats than in managed grasslands of equal productivity
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