Soil food webs in agricultural ecosystems - Microbial Ecology in Sustainable Agroecosystems - page 67

Table 4.2 Criteria Used to Formulate the Functional Groups of the Shortgrass Steppe Soil Food Web for the Central Plains Experimental Range
(CPER), Nunn, Colorado

Functional group Description Habitat Life history Examples (genera)

Predatory mites Attack most soil

invertebrates small
enough to overcome

Air-filled pore spaces Weeks-months Hypoaspis, Asca, Amblyseius, Rhodacarus,

Gamasellodes, Macrocheles, Spinibdella,
Cyta, Stigmaeus, Cocorhagidia

Nematophagous mites Attack only nematodes Air-filled pore spaces Weeks-months Alliphis, Eviphis, Alycus, Alicorhagia,

Ololaelaps, Veigaia

Predatory nematodes Attack nematodes and

bacteria (minimal)

Water film Days-weeks Discolaimium, Mononchus

Omnivorous nematodes Consumer of bacteria

and protozoa

Water film Days-weeks Mesodiplogaster

Fungivorous nematodes Feed on fungal

cytoplasm

Water film Days-weeks Aphelenchus, Aphelenchoides

Bacteriophagous nematodes Consume bacteria Water film Days-weeks Acrobeloides, Pelodera, Rhabditis

Collembola Consume fungal

hyphae and spores,
algae, pollen

Air-filled pore spaces Weeks-months Folsomia, Isotoma, Isotomdesm Hypogastura,

Tullbergia, Deuterosmithurus, Sminthurus

Mycophagous Prostigmata Pierce fungal hyphae

and consume fungal
cytoplasm

Air-filled pore spaces Weeks-months Tydeus, Eupodes, Tarsonemus, Bakerdania,

Pediculaster, Scutacarus, Speleorchestes

Cryptostigmata Consume fungal

hyphae and spores

Air-filled pore spaces Weeks-months Haplozetes, Passalozetes, Zygoribatula,

Pilogalumna, Tectocepheus, Oppiella,
Ceratozetes

Amoebas Consume bacteria Water-filled pore spaces

Water film

Hours Acanthamoeba, Hartmanella, tricamoeba,

Mayorella, Varella

Flagellates Consume bacteria Water-filled pore spaces

Water film

Hours Pleuromonas, Bodo, Mastigamoeba

Phytophagous nematodes Feed on plant roots Water film Days-weeks Helicotylenchus, Tylenchorhynchus,

Xiphinema

Source: From Moore, J.C., D.E. Walter, and H.W. Hunt. 1988. Arthropod regulation of micro- and mesobiota in below-ground detrital food webs. Annual Review of
Entomology 33:419-439.