Pedosphere 17(5): 611--618, 2007
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2007 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Nematode faunal response to grassland degradation in Horqin Sandy Land |
LIANG Wen-Ju 1, ZHONG Shuang1,3, HUA Jian-Feng1,3, CAO Cheng-You2 and JIANG Yong1 |
1 Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China). E-mail: liangwj@iae.ac.cn
2 College of Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110004 (China)
3 Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| The responses of soil nematode communities to grassland degradation were studied under undegraded grassland (UG), degraded grassland (DG), and improved grassland (IG), in Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia, Northeast China. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm. Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) exhibited positive effects on the total number of nematodes and trophic groups. Significant treatment effects were found in the total number of nematodes, plant parasites, and omnivores-predators. Measures taken in the improved grassland could improve the number of omnivore-predators, especially in the deeper soil layers. Nematode richness was lower in the DG treatment than in the IG and UG treatments. The food web structure index (SI) was significantly higher in the UG and IG treatments than in the DG treatment. A higher SI suggested a food web with more trophic linkages and relatively healthy ecosystems. |
| Key Words: functional groups, grassland degradation, Horqin Sandy Land, soil nematodes |
| Citation: Liang, W. J., Zhong, S., Hua, J. F., Cao, C. Y. and Jiang, Y. 2007. Nematode faunal response to grassland degradation in Horqin Sandy Land. Pedosphere. 17(5): 611-618. |
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