Diurnal migration and responses to simulated rainfall in desert soil microarthropods and nematodes

Whitford, Walter G.; Freckman, Diana W.; Elkins, Ned Z.; Parker, L. W.; Parmalee, Rob; Phillips, J. Paige; Tucker, Suzanne

doi:10.1016/0038-0717(81)90087-0

Cited by 103 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Virginia et al (1992) found no difference in nematode abundance between the 0-10 and 10-20 cm layer in this desert, so this does not support the idea that the deeper, moister layers harbor more nematodes. Furthermore, Whitford et al (1981) did not observe migration of nematodes between the litter layer and underlying soil in response to wetting and drying. They established that these nematodes rather activate from or go into anhydrobiosis as moisture increases or decreases, respectively.…”

Section: Responses Of Different Nematode Trophic Groups To Changes Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Chihuahuan Desert, Freckman and Virginia (1989) found a negative correlation between plant-parasitic nematode abundance and soil moisture, but only within some sites. However, irrigation events can induce a fast switch from anhydrobiotic to active forms (Whitford et al 1981). Our centrifugation method was not suitable for extracting nematodes in their anhydrobiotic state and would have resulted in their reactivation to metabolic activity.…”

Section: Nematode Responses To Long-term Alterations In Water Availabmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies have reported a lack of response to water availability across trophic levels in nematode communities (Whitford et al 1981, Steinberger et al 1984, Darby et al 2011. Others have shown different (Bouwman andZwart 1994, Landesman et al 2011) or consistent responses among trophic groups (Smolik and Dodd 1983, Schnü rer et al 1986, Stevnbak et al 2012, or genus-specific responses within trophic groups (Bakonyi et al 2007).…”

Section: Responses Of Different Nematode Trophic Groups To Changes Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other desert studies, discrete irrigation events did not result in altered soil nematode numbers in the short term, i.e., when comparing numbers before and after an irrigation event (Whitford et al 1981). In the Chihuahuan Desert, Freckman and Virginia (1989) found a negative correlation between plant-parasitic nematode abundance and soil moisture, but only within some sites.…”

Section: Nematode Responses To Long-term Alterations In Water Availabmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Responses of a desert nematode community to changes in water availability

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The most recent climate models unequivocally predict a strong drying trend for the southwestern USA within the next century. Soil nematodes are a highly important component of desert ecosystem functioning, but rely on water films for movement. However, it is currently poorly understood how different trophic groups of nematodes respond to chronic presses as well as short-lived pulses of altered water availability, especially in arid systems where such changes are expected to have the greatest impact. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of both instantaneous and long-term variation in water availability on desert soil nematode trophic groups. We hypothesized that nematode abundance would respond positively to both short-and long-term increases in moisture. Based on the ecology of the different trophic groups we further made predictions about their relative rates of response. We increased or decreased precipitation from ambient levels in the Chihuahuan Desert for four consecutive years and sampled soil nematodes after two, three and four years. We tested the effects of altered precipitation treatments through time as well as gravimetric soil moisture at the time of sampling on the abundance of the different nematode trophic groups. In contrast to our hypotheses, the abundances of most nematode trophic groups were unaffected by the amount of precipitation, even after four years of altered precipitation. Plant-parasitic nematodes from low moisture soils were the only group that reacted positively to increased precipitation from the third year onwards. Trophic groups responded differently to soil moisture, with bacterivores decreasing with increasing moisture and omnivores showing a positive relationship that diminished over time. We show that in general, these desert nematodes were not limited by precipitation, and were highly resilient to decreases therein. However, when also considering the effects of soil moisture, some more complex patterns and differences among trophic groups emerged. We discuss potential mechanisms explaining these observations and contrast our findings with those from other ecosystems around the world. We conclude that deserts harbor nematode communities that seem more resilient to altered water availability than other ecosystems.

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Section: Responses Of Different Nematode Trophic Groups To Changes Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nematode Responses To Long-term Alterations In Water Availabmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Responses Of Different Nematode Trophic Groups To Changes Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Nematode Responses To Long-term Alterations In Water Availabmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Responses of a desert nematode community to changes in water availability

et al. 2015

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“…Dependendo do grupo, a abundância pode variar de acordo com as estações climáticas. Willis (1976) e Lieberman & Dock (1982 ressaltara que a abundância aumenta durante a época chuvosa e Levings & Windsor (1982, 1984 e Whitford et al (1981) concluem que a elevação da umidade é o principal responsável pelo aumento na abundância e na atividade dos artrõpodos no solo. Prance (1974) comenta o aumento populacional em capoeira, por ser uma área perturbada pelo desmataraento.…”

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Abundância E Distribuição Vertical De Coleópteros Do Solo Em Capoeira De Terra Firme Na Região De Manaus - Am, Brasil

Rodrigues

1992

Acta Amaz.

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Nematode communities indicate diverse soil functioning across a fog gradient in the Namib Desert gravel plains

Treonis

Marais

Maggs‐Kölling

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Soil nematodes are fundamentally aquatic animals, requiring water to move, feed, and reproduce. Nonetheless, they are ubiquitous in desert soils because they can enter an anhydrobiotic state that allows them to persist when water is biologically unavailable. In the hyper‐arid Namib Desert of Namibia, rain is rare, but fog routinely moves inland from the coast and supports plant and animal life. Very little is understood about how this fog may affect soil organisms. We investigated the role of fog moisture in the ecology of free‐living, soil nematodes across an 87‐km fog gradient in the gravel plains of the Namib Desert. We found that nematodes emerged from anhydrobiosis and became active during a fog event, suggesting that they can utilize fog moisture to survive. Nematode abundance did not differ significantly across the fog gradient and was similar under shrubs and in interplant spaces. Interplant soils harbor biological soil crusts that may sustain nematode communities. As fog declined along the gradient, nematode diversity increased in interplant soils. In areas where fog is rare, sporadic rainfall events can stimulate the germination and growth of desert ephemerals that may have a lasting effect on nematode diversity. In a 30‐day incubation experiment, nematode abundance increased when soils were amended with water and organic matter. However, these responses were not evident in field samples, which show no correlations among nematode abundance, location in the fog gradient, and soil organic matter content. Soil nematodes are found throughout the Namib Desert gravel plains under a variety of conditions. Although shown to be moisture‐ and organic matter‐limited and able to use moisture from the fog for activity, variation in fog frequency and soil organic matter across this unique ecosystem may be biologically irrelevant to soil nematodes in situ.

show abstract

Diurnal migration and responses to simulated rainfall in desert soil microarthropods and nematodes

Cited by 103 publications

References 12 publications

Responses of a desert nematode community to changes in water availability

Responses of a desert nematode community to changes in water availability

Abundância E Distribuição Vertical De Coleópteros Do Solo Em Capoeira De Terra Firme Na Região De Manaus - Am, Brasil

Nematode communities indicate diverse soil functioning across a fog gradient in the Namib Desert gravel plains

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