Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Soil community composition and ecosystem processes: Comparing agricultural ecosystems with natural ecosystems

  • Published:
Agroforestry Systems Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Soil organisms play principal roles in several ecosystem functions, i.e. promoting plant productivity, enhancing water relations, regulating nutrient mineralisation, permitting decomposition, and acting as an environmental buffer. Agricultural soils would more closely resemble soils of natural ecosystems if management practices would reduce or eliminate cultivation, heavy machinery, and general biocides; incorporate perennial crops and organic material; and synchronise nutrient release and water availability with plant demand. In order to achieve these goals, research must be completed to develop methods for successful application of organic materials and associated micro-organisms, synchronisation of management practices with crop and soil biota phenology, and improve our knowledge of the mechanisms linking species to ecosystem processes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alphei J, Bonkowski M and Scheu S (1996) Protozoa, Nematoda and Lumbricidae in the rhizosphere of Hordelymus europaeus (Poaceae): faunal interactions, response of microorganisms and effects on plant growth. Oecologia 106: 111–126

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson RV, Gould WD, Woods LE, Cambardella C, Ingham RE and Coleman DC (1983) Organic and inorganic nitrogenous losses by microbivorous nematodes in soil. Oikos 40: 75–80

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andre HM, Noti MI and Lebrun P (1994) The soil fauna: the other last biotic frontier. Biodiversity and Conservation 3: 45–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrén O, Bengtsson J and Clarhom M (1995) Biodiversity and species redundancy among litter decomposers. In: Collins HP, Robertson GP and Klug MJ (eds) The Significance and Regulation of Soil Biodiversity, pp 141–151. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrén O and Lagerlöf J (1983) Soil fauna (microarthropods, enchytraeids, nematodes) in Swedish agricultural cropping systems. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 33: 33–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrén O, Paustian K and Rosswall T (1988) Soil biotic interactions in the functioning of agroecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 24: 57–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barker KR and Campbell CL (1981) Sampling nematode populations. In: Zuckerman BM Rohde RA (eds) Plant Parasitic Nematodes, Vol III, pp 451–474. Academic Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Beare MH (1997) Fungal and bacterial pathways of organic matter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in arable soil. In: Brussaard L and Ferrera-Cerrato R (eds) Soil Ecology in Sustainable Agricultural Systems, pp 37–70. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, LA

    Google Scholar 

  • Beare MH, Coleman DC, Crossley DA Jr, Hendrix PF and Odum EP (1995) A hierarchical approach to evaluating the significance of soil biodiversity to biogeochemical cycling. In: Collins HP, Robertson GP and Klug MJ (eds) The Significance and Regulation of Soil Biodiversity, pp 5–22. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Beare MH, Parmelee RW, Hendrix PF, Cheng W, Coleman DC and Crossley DA Jr (1992) Microbial and faunal interactions and effects on litter nitrogen and decomposition in agroecosystems. Ecological Monographs 62: 569–591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson J, Zheng DW, Agren GI and Persson T (1995) Food webs in soil: an interface between population and ecosystem ecology. In: Jones C and Lawton J (eds) Linking Species and Ecosystems, pp 159–165. Chapman and Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg NW and Pawluk S (1984) Soil mesofaunal studies under different vegetative regimes in North Central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 64: 209–223

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blevins RL, Smith MS, Thomas GW and Fry WW (1983) Influence of conservation tillage on soil properties. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 38: 301–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollag JM, Myers CJ and Minard RD (1992) Biological and chemical interactions of pesticides with soil organic matter. Science Total Environment 123/124: 205–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bongers T (1990) The maturity index: an ecological measure of environmental disturbance based on nematode species composition. Oecologia 83: 14–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booth RG and Anderson JM (1979) The influence of fungal food quality on the growth and fecundity of Folsomia candida (Collembola: Isotomidae). Oecologia 38: 317–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boström S and Söhlenius B (1986) Short-term dynamics of nematode communities in arable soil: Influence of a perennial and an annual cropping system. Pedobiologia 29: 345–357

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung YR, Hoitink HAH and Lipps PE (1988) Interactions between organic-matter decomposition level and soilborne disease severity. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 24: 183–193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell JH (1978) Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 199: 1302–1310

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarholm M (1985) Interactions of bacteria, protozoa and plants leading to mineralization of soil nitrogen. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 17: 181–187

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crossley DA Jr, Mueller BR and Perdue JC (1992) Biodiversity of microarthropods in agricultural soils: relations to processes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 40: 37–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curl EA and Truelove B (1986) The Rhizosphere. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY, 288 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Curl EA, Lartey R and Peterson CC (1988) Interactions between root pathogens and soil microarthropods. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 24: 249–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darbyshire JF, Davidson MS, Chapman SJ and Ritchie S (1994) Excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus by the soil ciliate Colpoda steinii when fed the soil bacterium Arthrobacter sp. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 26: 1193–1199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dindal DL (1990) Soil Biology Guide. John Wiley, New York, NY, 1349 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Doran JW (1980) Soil microbial and biochemical changes associated with reduced tillage. Soil Science Society of America Journal 44: 765–771

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duniway JM (1983) Role of physical factors in the development of Phytophthora diseases. In: Erwin DC, Bartnicki-Garcia S and Tsao PH (eds) Phytophthora: Its Biology, Taxonomy, Ecology, and Pathology, pp 175–187. American Phytopathological Society, St Paul, MN

    Google Scholar 

  • Eash NS, Karlen DL and Parkin TB (1994) Fungal contributions to soil aggregation and soil quality. In: Doran JW, Coleman DC, Bezdicek DF and Stewart BA (eds) Defining Soil Quality for a Sustainable Environment, pp 221–228. SSSA Special Publication No. 35, Madison, Wisconsin

  • Edwards CA and Bohlen PJ (1996) Biology and Ecology of Earthworms, 3rd ed. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott ET, Hunt HW and Walter CE (1988) Detrital food web interactions in North American grassland ecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 24: 41–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erwin DC, Bartnicki-Garcia S and Tsao PH (1983) Phytophthora: Its Biology, Taxonomy, Ecology, and Pathology. American Phytopathological Society, St Paul, MN, 392 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Ettema CH (1998) Soil nematode diversity: species coexistance and ecosystem function. Journal of Nematology 30: 159–169

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ettema CH and Bongers T (1993) Characterisation of nematode colonisation and succession in disturbed soil using the Maturity Index. Biology and Fertility of Soils 16: 79–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferris VR and Ferris JC (1974) Inter-relationships between nematode and plant communities in agricultural ecosystems. Agro-Ecosystems 1: 275–299

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filser J, Fromm H, Nagel RF and Winter K (1995) Effects of previous intensive agricultural management on microorganisms and the biodiversity of soil fauna. Plant and Soil 170: 123–129

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foissner W (1992) Comparative studies on the soil life in ecofarmed and conventionally farmed fields and grasslands of Austria. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 40: 207–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foissner W (1997) Protozoa as bioindicators in agroecosystems, with emphasis on farming practices, biocides, and biodiversity. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 62: 93–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster RC and Dormaar JF (1991) Bacteria-grazing amoebae in situ in the rhizosphere. Biology and Fertility of Soils 11: 83–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freckman DW and Ettema CH (1993) Assessing nematode communities in agroecosystems of varying human intervention. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 45: 239–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giller KE, Beare MH, Lavelle P, Izac A-MN and Swift MJ (1997) Agricultural intensification, soil biodiversity and agroecosystem function. Applied Soil Ecology 6: 3–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodell P and Ferris H (1980) Plant-parasitic nematode distributions in an alfalfa field. Journal of Nematology 12: 136–141

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin DM (1981) Water potential as a selective factor in the microbial ecology of soils. In: Parr JF, Gardner WR and Elliott LF (eds) Water Potential Relations in Soil Microbiology, pp 141–151. Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication No. 9, Madison, Wisconsin

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths BS (1994) Soil nutrient flow. In: Darbyshire J (ed) Soil Protozoa, pp 65–91. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta VVSR and Germida JJ (1988) Distribution of microbial biomass and its activity in different soil aggregate size classes as affected by cultivation. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 20: 777–786

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harding DJL and Studdart RA (1974) Microarthropods. In: Dickinson DH and Pugh GJF (eds) Biology of Plant Litter Decomposition, pp 489–532. Academic Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Hassink J, Bouwman LA, Zwart KB and Brussaard L (1993) Relationships between habitable pore space soil biota and mineralization rates in grassland soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 25: 47–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawksworth DL and Mound LA (1991) Biodiversity databases: the crucial significance of collections. In: Hawksworth DL (ed) The Biodiversity of Microorganisms and Invertebrates: Its Role in Sustainable Agriculture, pp 17–29. CAB International, Wallingford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendrix PF, Parmelee RW, Crossley DA Jr., Coleman DC, Odum EP and Groffman PM (1986) Detritus food webs in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. BioScience 36: 374–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs RJ and Huenneke LF (1992) Disturbance, diversity, and invasion: implications for conservation. Conservation Biology 6: 324–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland EA and Coleman DC (1987) Litter placement effects on microbial and organic matter dynamics in an agroecosystem. Ecology 68: 425–433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt HW, Coleman DC, Ingham ER, Ingham RE, Elliott ET, Moore JC, Rose SL, Reid CPP and Morley CR (1987) The detrital food web in a shortgrass prairie. Biology and Fertility of Soils 3: 57–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingham ER (1998) Managing the soil foodweb to benefit plant growth: care and feeding of soil microherds. Journal of Nematology 29: 585

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingham ER, Coleman DC and Moore JC (1989) An analysis of food-web structure and function in a shortgrass prairie, a mountain meadow, and a lodgepole pine forest. Biology and Fertility of Soils 8: 29–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingham RE, Trofymow JA, Ingham ER and Coleman DC (1985) Interactions of bacteria, fungi, and their nematode grazers: effects on nutrient cycling and plant growth. Ecological Monographs 55: 119–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson W (1985) New Roots for Agriculture. University of Nebraska Press, Nebraska, 150 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Janzen D (1977) Why fruits rot, seeds mold, and meats spoil. American Naturalist 111: 691–713

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Janzen D (1985) Natural history of mutualism. In: Boucher DH (ed) Biology of Mutualism. Ecology and Evolution, pp 40–99. Oxford University Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Jentschke G, Bonkowski M, Godbold DL and Scheu S (1995) Soil protozoa and forest tree growth: non-nutritional effects and interactions with mycorrhizae. Biology and Fertility of Soils 20: 263–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King KL and Hutchinson KJ (1976) The effects of sheep stocking intensity on the abundance and distribution of mesofauna in pastures. Journal of Applied Ecology 13: 41–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitazawa Y (1971) Biological regionality of the soil fauna and its function in forest ecosystem types. In: Proceedings of the Brussels Symposium 1969, Ecology and Conservation No. 4. Productivity of Forest Ecosystems, pp 485–498. UNESCO

  • Koehler HH (1992) The use of soil mesofauna for the judgement of chemical impact on ecosystems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 40: 193–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (1991) Soil conservation and biodiversity In: Hawksworth DL (ed) The Biodiversity of Microorganisms and Invertebrates: Its Role in Sustainable Agriculture, pp 89–104. CAB International, London, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson WE and Pierce FJ (1991) Conservation and enhancement of soil quality. In: IBSRAM Proceedings 12(2). Evaluation for Sustainable Land Management in the Development World. Volume 2. Bangkok, Thailand. International Board for Soil Research and Management

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavelle P, Lattaud C, Trigo D and Barois I (1995) Mutualism and biodiversity in soils. Plant and Soil 170: 23–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linn DC and Doran JW (1984) Effect of water-filled pore space on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide production in tilled and non-tilled soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 48: 1267–1272

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore JC and de Ruiter PC (1991) Temporal and spatial heterogeneity of trophic interactions within below-ground food webs. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 34: 371–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore JC, Walter DE and Hunt HW (1988) Arthropod regulation of micro-and mesobiota in below-ground detrital food webs. Annual Review of Entomology 33: 419–439

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller BR, Beare MH and Crossley DA Jr (1990) Soil mites in detrital food webs of conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. Pedobiologia 34: 389–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Neher D and Duniway JM (1992) Dispersal of Phytophthora parasitica in tomato fields by furrow irrigation. Plant Disease 76: 582–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neher DA and Campbell CL (1994) Nematode communities and microbial biomass in soils with annual and perennial crops. Applied Soil Ecology 1: 17–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neher DA and Campbell CL (1996) Sampling for regional monitoring of nematode communities in agricultural soils. Journal of Nematology 28: 196–208

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neher DA and Barbercheck ME (1998) Diversity and role of soil mesofauna. In: Collins W (ed) Importance of Biodiversity in Agroecosystems, Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Neher DA, Peck SL, Rawlings JO and Campbell CL (1995) Measures of nematode community structure for an agroecosystem monitoring program and sources of variability among and within agricultural fields. Plant and Soil 170: 167–181

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Noe JP and Campbell CL (1985). Spatial pattern analysis of plant-parasitic nematodes. Journal of Nematology 17: 86–93

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Old KM (1967) Effects of natural soil on survival of Cochliobolus sativus. Transactions of the British Mycological Society 50: 615–624

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ott P, Hansen S and Vogtmann H (1983) Nitrates in relation to composting and use of farmyard manures. In: Lockeretz W (ed) Environmentally Sound Agriculture, pp 145–154. Praeger, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Petraitis PS, Latham RE and Niesenbaum RA (1989) The maintenance of species diversity by disturbance. Quarterly Review of Biology 64: 393–418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Potter DA (1993) Pesticide and fertiliser effects on beneficial invertebrates and consequences for thatch degradation and pest outbreaks in turfgrass. In: Racke KD and Leslie AR (eds) Pesticides in Urban Environments: Fate and Significance, pp 331–343. ACS Symposium Series No. 522, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards BN (1987) The Microbiology of Terrestrial Ecosystems. Longman Scientific and Technical, New York, New York, 399 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryder MH, Brisbane PG and Rovira AD (1990) Mechanisms in the biological control of take-all of wheat by rhizosphere bacteria. In: Hornby D (ed) Biological Control of Soil-Borne Plant Pathogens, pp 123–130. CAB International, Wallingford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Samways MH (1992) Some comparative insect conservation issues of north temperate, tropical and south temperate landscapes. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 40: 137–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seastedt TR (1984) The role of microarthropods in decomposition and mineralization processes. Annual Review of Entomology 29: 25–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seastedt TR, James SW and Todd TC (1988) Interactions among soil invertebrates, microbes and plant growth in the tallgrass prairie. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 24: 219–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Setälä H (1995) Growth of birch and pine seedlings in relation to grazing by soil fauna on ectomycorrhizal fungi. Ecology 76: 1844–1851

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Setälä H and Huhta V (1991) Soil fauna increase Betula pendula growth: laboratory experiments with coniferous forest floor. Ecology 72: 665–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Setälä H, Tyynismaa M, Martikainen E and Huhta V (1991) Mineralisation of C, N and P in relation to decomposer community structure in coniferous forest soil. Pedobiologia 35: 285–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Söhlenius B, Boström S and Sandor A (1988) Carbon and nitrogen budgets of nematodes in arable soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 6: 1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommers LE, Gilmour CM, Wildung RE and Beck SM (1981) In: Parr JF, Gardner WR and Elliott LF (eds) Water Potential Relations in Soil Microbiology, pp 97–117. Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication No. 9, Madison, Wisconsin

    Google Scholar 

  • Steen E (1983) Soil animals in relation to agricultural practices and soil productivity. Swedish Journal of Agricultural Research 13: 157–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Strueve-Kusenberg R (1982) Succession and trophic structure of soil animal communities in different suburban fallow areas. In: Bornkamm R, Lee JA and Seaward CRD (eds) Urban Ecology, pp 89–98. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Swift CJ, Heal OW and Anderson JC (1979). Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems. University of California, Berkeley, California, 372 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Teuben A and Verhoef HA (1992) Direct contribution by soil arthropods to nutrient availability through body and faecal nutrient content. Biology and Fertility of Soils 14: 71–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thimm T and Larink O (1995) Grazing preferences of some Collembola for endomycorrhizal fungi. Biology and Fertility of Soils 19: 266–268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trofymow JA and Coleman DC (1982) The role of bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes in cellulose and chitin decomposition in the context of a root/rhizosphere/soil conceptual model. In: Freckman DW (ed) Nematodes in Soil Ecosystems, pp 117–138. University of Texas, Austin

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Bund CF (1970) Influence of crop and tillage on mites and springtails in arable soil. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 18: 308–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Vliet PCJ, Beare MH and Coleman DC (1995) Population dynamics and functional roles of Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta) in hardwood forest and agricultural ecosystems. Plant and Soil 170: 199–207

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verhoef HA and Brussard L (1990) Decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in natural and agro-ecosystems: The contribution of soil animals. Biogeochemistry 11: 175–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Walter DE (1987) Trophic behaviour of (mycophagous) microarthropods. Ecology 68: 226–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter DE and Ikonen EK (1989) Species, guilds, and functional groups: taxonomy and behaviour in nematophagous arthropods. Journal of Nematology 21: 315–327

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walter DE, Hudgens RA and Freckman DW (1986) Consumption of nematodes by fungivorous mites, Tyrophagus spp. (Acarina: Astigmata: Acaridae). Oecologia 70: 357–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter DE, Hunt HW and Elliott ET (1988) Guilds or functional groups? An analysis of predatory arthropods from a shortgrass steppe soil. Pedobiologia 31: 247–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Wardle DA (1995) Impacts of disturbance on detritus food webs in agro-ecosystems of contrasting tillage and weed management practices. Advances in Ecological Research 26: 105–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wardle DA and Yeates GW (1993) The dual importance of competition and predation as regulatory forces in terrestrial ecosystems: evidence from decomposer food-webs. Oecologia 93: 303–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wardle DA, Yeates GW, Watson RN and Nicholson KS (1995) The detritus food-web and the diversity of soil fauna as indicators of disturbance regimes in agro-ecosystems. Plant and Soil 170: 35–43

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wasilewska L (1979) The structure and function of soil nematode communities in natural ecosystems and agrocenoses. Polish Ecological Studies 5: 97–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasilewska L (1989) Impact of human activities on nematodes. In: Charholm C and Bergstrom L (eds) Ecology of Arable Land, pp 123–132. Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasilewska L, Jakubczyk H and Paplinska E (1975) Production of Aphelenchus avenae Bastian (Nematoda) and reduction of mycelium of saprophytic fungi by them. Polish Ecological Studies 1: 61–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Weil RR and Kroontje W (1979) Effects of manuring on the arthropod community in an arable soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 11: 669–679

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss B and Larink O (1991) Influence of sewage sludge and heavy metals on nematodes in an arable soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 12: 5–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whitford WG, Freckman DW, Santos PF, Elkins NZ and Parker LW (1982) The role of nematodes in decomposition in desert ecosystems. In: Freckman DW (ed) Nematodes in Soil Ecosystems, pp 98–115. University of Texas, Austin

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicklow DT (1981) Interference competition and the organization of fungal communities. In: Wicklow DT and Carroll GC (eds) The Fungal Community: Its Organization and Role in the Ecosystem, pp 351–375. Marcel Dekker, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitaker RH (1975) Communities and Ecosystems. 2nd ed. Macmillian, New York, 385 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeates GW (1984) Variation in soil nematode diversity under pasture with soil and year. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 16: 95–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeates GW (1994) Modification and qualification of the nematode maturity index. Pedobiologia 38: 97–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeates GW and Wardle DA (1996) Nematodes as predators and prey: relationships to biological control and soil processes. Pedobiologia 40: 43–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeates GW and Coleman DC (1982) Nematodes in decomposition. In: Freckman DW (ed) Nematodes in Soil Ecosystems, pp 55–80. University of Texas, Austin

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeates GW, Bamforth SS, Ross DJ, Tate KR and Sparling GP (1991) Recolonization of methyl bromide sterilized soils under four different field conditions. Biology and Fertility of Soils 11: 181–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zwart KB, Kuikman PJ and VanVeen JA (1994) Rhizosphere protozoa: their significance in nutrient dynamics. In: Darbyshire J (ed) Soil Protozoa, pp 93–121. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, 43606, USA

    D. A. Neher

Authors
  1. D. A. Neher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Neher, D.A. Soil community composition and ecosystem processes: Comparing agricultural ecosystems with natural ecosystems. Agroforestry Systems 45, 159–185 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006299100678

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006299100678

Search

Navigation