The relationship between the diversity of soil nematode communities and the plant species richness of meadows

Wasilewska, Lucyna

doi:ISSN 0420-9036

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Title: The relationship between the diversity of soil nematode communities and the plant species richness of meadows

Abstract:

Research was carried out on two ley meadows and one permanent meadow situated in north-eastern Poland and belonging to the order Arrhenatheretalia. The meadows differed in the diversity of the vegetation cover, which was a function of age (13 years, 8-10 years and 20 years). The older meadows differed from the youngest in having a lower proportion of Rhabditida and higher of Tylenchida, as well as in the increased density of fungivores and phytophages, the reduced dominance of particular genera and higher values for diversity indices. The maturity index (Ml) for the non-parasitic fauna was highest on the permanent meadow and lowest on the many-year-old meadow, while the plant parasite index (PPI) was lowest on the permanent meadow. It may be concluded that the plant species richness of the sward – increasing with age – exerts a decisive and differentiated influence on the structure of the communities of nematodes as described by diversity indices and in terms of their functional groups.

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