Relationship between Soil Arthropods and Soil Properties in a Suburb of Qianjiang City, Hubei, China

Abstract

Nine categories of soil arthropods and 24 soil phy sicochemical properties were surveyed in 31 plots of a suburb of Qianjiang City, Hubei, China, in 1993 to 1994. Using factor analysis, 24 soil properties were reduced to five key soil factors (salt content, available K and P, organic matter, soil particles, Cd content), which were composed of 12 variables. Both simple correlation and canonical correlation analysis of the key soil factors and soil arthropods revealed positive correlations between Isopoda and Formicidae and the salt content factor, and between Chilopoda and the available P and K factor. Canonical correlation analysis also revealed a positive relationship between Formicidae, Isopoda, Diplopoda, and Staphylinidae and available K and P, and between Araneae, Staphylinidae, Diplopoda, and Formicidae and organic matter; and indicated a close relationship between Araneae, Staphylinidae, Diplopoda, and Formicidae and sandy loam soil. Results also indicated that Cd concentrations of 0.15 mg/kg to 0....