Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
and attributed this to higher litter fall, lower temperature and higher soil
moisture.
5.3 Mesofauna
Mesofauna includes organisms less than 4 mm long (or 2 mm wide). They
mostly live in the litter or soil cracks and pores. Examples are the micro-
arthropods, mites, springtails, enchytraeidae, etc.
The structure, organisation and behaviour of individuals within soil fauna
communities dynamically respond to seasonal and diurnal changes in
environmental conditions. In addition, the distribution of individuals in space
is heterogenous within a given habitat. Variation in environmental conditions,
biotic interactions and colonisation history result in uneven distribution of soil
fauna in space. As such, management practices that alter the environmental
conditions are likely to have greater impact on the diversity of mesofauna
groups as well.
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In a maize-based system of western Kenya, faunal composition and
abundance within the agroecosystem were dominated by macrofauna groups
(90.2%), while mesofauna groups constituted only 9.8%.
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Maribe et al.
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monitored the abundance and diversity of mesofauna groups such as mites
along a gradient of land-use types in Taita Taveta, Kenya. They found that
land-use types significantly influenced the abundance and diversity such that
intensification lowered the diversity and abundance, resulting in a less complex
mite community structure (see Table 6). Higher abundance, richness and
diversity
d
n
1
r
2
n
g
|
4
were
observed
in
less
disturbed
forest
ecosystems
unlike
the
agroecosystems, which are often disturbed during cultivation.
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In another study, Birgit et al.
76
found that application of organic
amendments such as cow manure encouraged proliferation of collembolan
Table 6
Mean abundance, richness and diversity of soil mites at Taita Taveta
during long rains in April 2008.
Shannon-Wiener
index
Land use types
Mean abundance
Mean richness
Maize-based
72.3 ¡24.7d
6.5 ¡1.9c
1.3 ¡0.3bc
Coffee
120.5 ¡25.7d
10.8 ¡1.1bc
1.8 ¡0.1ab
Horticulture
132.3 ¡22.7d
6.0 ¡1.1c
1.1 ¡0.3c
Napier
147.7 ¡70.1cd
8.7 ¡2.3bc
1.1 ¡0.3c
Natural forest
244.0 ¡63.3bcd
12.3 ¡0.9ab
2.1 ¡0.1a
Fallow
413.8 ¡79.4abc
12.0 ¡2.9ab
1.1 ¡0.2c
Pine forest
436.2 ¡181.7a
15.8 ¡1.6a
2.0 ¡0.2a
Cypress forest
607.0 ¡118.8a
16.8 ¡1.1a
2.2 ¡0.2a
F test
F7,2354.51; P 5
0.003
F7,2355.50; P
,0.001
F7,2355.57; P
,0.001
Means followed by the same letters within a column are not significantly different at p ,0.05
(Fisher test). (Source: Maribe et al.).
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