Plant and Soil

, Volume 301, Issue 1–2, pp 233–244 | Cite as

Transformation and mineralization of soil organic nitrogen by the humivorous larva of Pachnoda ephippiata (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

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Abstract

We studied transformation and mineralization of nitrogenous soil polymers by the humivorous larva of the scarabaeid beetle Pachnoda ephippiata, using 14C-labeled peptides, peptidoglycan, and chitin, both native and stabilized by co-polymerization with synthetic humic acids. The results indicated that these materials were solubilized mainly in the alkaline midgut. The solubilization rate of peptides to TCA-soluble products was higher than those of peptidoglycan and chitin. Solubilization rates were lower when the polymers were stabilized in humic acids. Incubation of soil with midgut fluid released amino acids, which explains the high in vivo concentrations of amino acids observed in the midgut fluid. The large amounts of \( {\text{NH}}^{ + }_{4} \) in the fresh fecal pellets indicated that at least 1.7% of the total nitrogen (7% of the acid-hydrolyzable peptides) in the ingested soil was mineralized during gut passage; also the amount of soluble protein and the solubility of humic substances increased. The combined evidence supports the hypothesis that not only microbial biomass but also the nitrogen-rich components of humus are important dietary components for humivorous insects, and that feeding activities of soil macroinvertebrates strongly impact transformation and mineralization of soil organic matter.

Keywords

Ammonia Chitin Humivory Peptides Peptidoglycan Soil macroinvertebrates Soil organic matter 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Thorsten Lemke contributed previously unpublished data on ammonium concentrations in gut and fecal samples. We thank Uwe Deggelmann, keeper of the zoological teaching collection in the Biology Department at the Universität Konstanz, for his help in breeding the beetles.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Fachbereich Biologie, LS Mikrobielle ÖkologieUniversität KonstanzKonstanzGermany
  2. 2.Max-Planck-Institut für terrestrische MikrobiologieMarburgGermany
  3. 3.Department of Botany and MicrobiologyUniversity of OklahomaNormanUSA

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