Seasonal dynamics and land use effect on soil microarthropod communities in the Mid-hills of Nepal

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/08/2014
Views (346) Download (12)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Seasonal dynamics and land use effect on soil microarthropod communities in the Mid-hills of Nepal

Farida Begum, Roshan Man Bajracharya, Bishal Kumar Sitaula, Subodh Sharma, Shaukat Ali, Haibat Ali
Int. J. Agron. Agri. Res.5( 2), 114-123, August 2014.
Certificate: IJAAR 2014 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

The study addressed the influence of seasons and land use on soil microarthropod communities. Soil fauna were grouped into three categories, i.e., Collembola (20%), Acari (59%) and other microarthropods (21%). The densities of total microarthropod, Collembola, and Acari were highly significant with seasons. Shannon Index and QBS-ar were also significant with seasons while with the land use change density of Collembola and Shannon Index were weakly significant. Highest average densities of Collembola (60%), Acari (54%), other microarthropods (55%) and QBS-ar were observed in the forest as compared to agriculture. Pearson’s correlation indicated that bulk density, soil temperature and pH were significantly negatively correlated with biological indicators except Shannon Wiener Index. Most of the investigated biological indicators were positively correlated among each other. Seasons had greater influence on biological indicators than the land use change. This research indicated that soil microarthropods appear to be consistent and potentially a good indicator for assessing the impact of land use practice and seasons on soil quality. However long term research is required to fully understand the impact of different agricultural practices and seasons on soil faunal abundance, diversity and community structure for the conservation of soil biota as well as assessment of soil quality.

VIEWS 9

Adeniyi AS. 2009. Diversity and abundance of soil mesofuana of soil mesofuana and microbial population in South-Western Nigeria. African Journal of plant sciences 3, 210-216.

AlssiutyAIM,KhalilMA, Abdul-LatiefHM.2000. Effect of dry sludge application ion soil microarthropods communities in reclaimed desert ecosystem. Pedobiologia 44, 567-578.

AxelsenJA, KristensenKT. 2000. Collembola and Mites in plot fertilized with different types of green manure. Pedobiologia 44, 556-566.

BadejoMA. 1990. Seasonal abundance of soil mites (Acarina) in two contrasting Environment. Biotropica 22, 382-390.

Badejo MA, Van-StraalenNM. 1993. Seasonal abundance of springtail (Collembola) in two contrasting environment. Biotropica 25, 222-228.

Begum F, Bajracharya RM, Sharma S, Sitaula BK.2010. Influence of slope aspect on soil physic-chemical and biological properties in the mid hill of central Nepal. International Journal of sustainable development and world ecology 17, 438- 443.

Begum F, Bajracharya RM, Sharma S, Sitaula BK.2011. Assessment of soil quality using micro arthropods communities under different land use system-A case study in the mid hill of central Nepal. Journal of life science 5, 66-73.

BlockW.1966. Seasonal fluctuation and distribution of mite population in MoorlandSoils,with a note on Biomass. Journal of Animal Ecology 35,487-503.

ColemanDA, CrossleyJR, HendrixPF. 2004. Fundamentals of soil ecology. Elsevier USA.

DecaensT, JimenezJJ. 2002. Earthworm communities under agriculture intensification gradient in Columbia. Plant Soil 240, 133-143.

Decaens T,Jimenez JJ,GioiaC, MeaseyGJ, LavelleP. 2006. The value of soil animals for conservation biology. European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S23-S38.

Didden WAM. 1993. Ecology of terrestrial Enchytraeidae. Pedobiologia 37, 2-29.

Fujita M, Fujiyama S. 2000. Soil Mesofauna in Two Microenvironments of No-tillage Organic Farming Field. Edaphologia 66, 11-20.

Gardi C, Tomaselli M, Parisi V, Petraglia A, Santini C.2002. Soil quality indicators and biodiversity in northern Italian permanent grasslands. European Journal of Soil Biology 38, 103-110.

HaarlovN. 1960. Microarthropods from Danish soils, Ecology, Phenology. Oikos. Acta oecologica Scandinavica, Supplementum 3, 1-176.

Heisler C, Kaiser EA. 1995. Influence of agricultural traffic and crop management on Collembolan and microbial biomass in arable soil. Bio. Fertil. Soil 19, 159-165.

Hishi T, Fujimaki R, Mc Gonigle TP, Takeda H. 2008. Relationship among roots, fungal hyphae and soil micro arthropods among different soil microhabitats in temperate coniferous forest of Chamaecyparis obtuse. European Journal of soil Biology 44, 473-477.

Klironomos JN, Kendrick B. 1995. Relationship among micro arthropods, fungi, and their environment. Plant Soil 170, 183-197.

Lasebikan BA. 1974. A preliminary communication on micro arthropods from tropical in Nigeria. Pedobiologia 14, 402-411.

Lavelle P, Decaen T, Aubert M, Barot S, Blouin M, Bureau F, Margerie P, Mora P, Rossi JP. 2006. Soil invertebrates and ecosystem services. European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S3-S15.

Lee YF, Kuo YM, Lu S.S, Chen DY, Jean HJ, Chao JT.2009. Trampling, Litter removal and variation in the composition and relative abundance of soil arthropods in the sub tropical hardwood forest. Zoological studies 48, 62-173.

Loring SJ, Snider RJ, Robertson LS. 1981. The effects of three tillage practices on collembolan and Acarina populations. Pedobiologia 22, 172-184.

Luxton M. 1981. Studies on the orbatid mites of Danish beech wood soil, V. Vertical Distribution. Pedobiologia 21, 365-386.

Miyazawa K, Tsuji H, Yamagata M, Nakano H, Nakamoto T. 2002. The Effects of Cropping systems and Fallow managements on Microarthropod Populations. Plant Prod. Science 5, 257-265.

Perdue JC, Crossley AJ. 1989. Seasonal abundance of soil mites (Acari) in experimental agro ecosystem: effects of drought in no-tillage and conventional tillage. Soil Tillage Research 15, 117-124.

Parisi V, Menta C, Gardi C, Jacomin C. 2003. Evaluation of soil quality and biodiversity in Italy: the biological quality of soil index (QBS) approach. Meeting on Soil Erosion and Biodiversity Indicators, Rome, Italy, OECD, Paris.

Parisi V, Menta C, Gardi C, Jacomini C, Mozzanica E.2005. Micro arthropods communities as tool to assess soil quality and biodiversity: a new approach in Italy. Agric. Ecosys. and Environment 105, 323-333.

Paolo AG, Raffaella B, Danio A, Attilo DR, Ettore C. 2010. Assessment of soil quality index based on micro arthropods in corn cultivation in Northern Italy. Ecological Indicators 10, 129-135.

Primentel D, Warneke A.1989. Ecological effects of manure, sewage sludge and other organic waste on arthropod populations. Agric. Zool. Rev. 3, 1-30.

Reddy MV. 1984. Seasonal Fluctuation of different edaphic microarhtropods population densities in relation to soil moisture and temperature in Pine, Pinus kesiya Royle Plantation Ecosystem. International Journal of Biometeorology 28, 55-59.

Rana N, Rana SA, Khan HA, Sohail A. 2010. Assessment of possible threats to soil macro-invertebrate diversity in wheat fields from high input farming. Int. J. Agric. Biology12, 801–808.

Rombke J, Sousa JP, Schouten T, Riepert F. 2006. Monitoring of soil organisms: a set of standardized field methods proposed by ISO. European Journal of Soil Biology 42, S61-S64.

Solbrig OT. 1991. From Genes to Ecosystems: A Research Agenda for Biodiversity, IUBS–SCOPE– UNESCO. Monograph series.124 pages.

Tadeka H. 1987. Dynamics and maintenance of Collembolan community structure in a forest soil System. Research Population Ecology 29, 291-346.

Upadhyay TP. 2006. Land-Use Changes and Forest/Soil Degradation Effects on Carbon Sequestration at Watershed Level in Nepal: An Interdisciplinary Systems Analysis Using Bio-Economic Modeling. Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Ås.

Usher MB. 1975. Seasonal and vertical distribution of population of soil arthropods: Criptostimata. Pedobiologia 15, 364-374.

Verhoef H, Witteveen J.1980.Water balance in Collembola and its relation to habitat selection; cuticular water loss and water uptake. Journal of Insect Physiology 26, 201-208.

Verhoef H & Van Selm AJ. 1983. Distribution and population dynamics of Collembola in relation to soil moisture. Holarctic Ecology 6, 387-394.

Vreeken-Buijs MJ, Hassink  J,  Brussard  L. 1998. Relationships on soil microarthropods biomass with organic matter and pore size distribution in soil under different land use. Soil Biol. Biochem 30, 97-106.

Wall DH, Adans GA, Parsons AN. 2001. Soil Biodiversity, in: F. S. CHAPIN, O. E. Sala., E.huber-Sannwald (Eds.), Global Biodiversity in a changing Environment, Springer Verlag, New York 47-82.

Webster EA, Hopkin DW, Chudek JA, Haslam SFI, Simek M, Picek T. 2001. The relationship between microbial carbon and resource quality of soil carbon. Journal of Environmental quality 30, 147-150.