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Utility of nematode community analysis as an integrated measure of the functional state of soils: perspectives and challenges

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Abstract

Soil nematode communities have the potential to provide unique insights into many aspects of soil processes. Since most nematodes are active in soil throughout the year, they can potentially provide a holistic measure of the biotic and functional status of soils. In contrast to other soil microbial groups, representative samples of soil nematode communities are relatively easy to obtain. However, most current nematode ecological information has been survey-based or purely observational in nature, with a persistent focus on detailed taxonomic analysis of nematode communities. The development of a Maturity Index, MI, represents a significant advance in classifying communities and it continues to be refined and developed. But, to develop a wide capacity to use soil nematode information for diagnostic and predictive purposes, particularly for agricultural soils, we need a new, more robust approach, which does not require extensive taxonomic skill and includes more functional criteria. One of the key attributes of nematodes is the relationship between structural form (principally oesophagal feeding apparatus) and function (i.e. trophic group). Nematode form is readily determinable by direct observation of extracted nematodes and high-level taxonomic skills are not needed to assign the major community components to their different trophic and ecological groups. Consequently, the trophic structure of nematode communities is relatively easy to determine and can provide an integrated measure of the status of the other groups on which they feed. Similarly, population numbers and proportions of juveniles and adults can be readily determined, permitting calculation of relative biomass and dynamics of population growth. The size distribution of individuals within the community is likely also to be an indicator of the structural status of soils from a biotic standpoint. However, fundamental gaps remain in our understanding which limit our ability to relate differences in nematode communities to functional differences. There needs to be a greater emphasis on the development and experimental testing of hypotheses, a greater integration of nematology into soil-process related studies, and the development of a specific, soil-nematode related theoretical framework for understanding epidemiological and soil colonisation processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Plant Dynamics Unit, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK

    Karl Ritz

  2. Nematology Unit, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK FAX No

    David L. Trudgill

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  1. Karl Ritz
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Ritz, K., Trudgill, D.L. Utility of nematode community analysis as an integrated measure of the functional state of soils: perspectives and challenges. Plant and Soil 212, 1–11 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004673027625

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