Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025440 | Soil Biology and Biochemistry | 2009 | 10 Pages |
We investigated the Collembola community at an arable field where mineral and organic fertilizers have been applied at low and high rates for 27 years. As food resources for Collembola, the soil microbial community was analyzed using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). A special focus was put on AM fungi, which were estimated by the marker 16:1ω5 in PLFA (viable hyphae) and neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA – storage fat in spores) fractions. Additionally, whole cellular lipids in crop plant tissues and manure were assessed. Greater Collembola species richness occurred in plots where mineral fertilizer was added. In contrast, soil microbial biomass including AM fungal hyphae increased with addition of organic fertilizer, while the amount of AM fungal spores and biomass of saprotrophic fungi were not affected by fertilizer type. The lipid pattern in wheat roots was altered by fertilizer type, application rate and their interaction, indicating different rhizosphere communities. In sum, the availability and composition of food resources for Collembola changed considerably due to farm management practice. The major diet of three dominant Collembola species, Isotoma viridis, Willemia anophthalma and Polyacanthella schäffer was determined by lipid profiling. Multivariate analysis demonstrated species specific lipid patterns, suggesting greater importance of species than management practice on the diet choice. Nevertheless, feeding strategy was affected by fertilizer type and availability of resources, as trophic biomarker fatty acids indicated feeding on wheat roots (and to some extent saprotrophic fungi) with mineral and a shift to soil organic matter (litter, detritus) with organic fertilization. Although AM fungi dominated the soil fungal community, the AMF marker 16:1ω5 was not detected in Collembola lipids, indicating that these were not consumed. The very low amount of saprotrophic fungi in the soil and the fact that Collembola as major fungal grazers did not feed on AM fungi indicates that the fungal energy channel in the investigated arable field is of little importance to the faunal food web.