Are soil nematode communities altered by tree introduction and prolonged cultivation in Subarctic region?
D. S. KALINKINA, A. A. SUSHCHUK, E. M. MATVEEVA
Karelian Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biology, Petrozavodsk, Russia
Keywords: soil nematodes, introduced tree plants, subarctic region, taxonomic diversity, community structure, abiotic factors
Abstract
This study is focused on soil nematode communities in under-crown areas of tree plants introduced to and cultivated for a long time in the botanical garden on Is. Bolshoy Solovetsky (Arkhangelsk Region, Russia). Soil nematode communities of natural forests (pine-, spruce-, birch stands) were studied as the control. The study has demonstrated that the taxonomic diversity and abundance of nematodes, as well as the share of plant parasites in the trophic structure of nematode communities in the soil under introduced trees were higher compared to natural forests. The ecological indices (structure index SI, enrichment index EI) changed non-uniformly and so had poor performance as tools for evaluating the consequences of the plant introductions for the soil ecosystem. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between the content of carbon and nitrogen in soil and the absolute and relative abundance and the taxonomic diversity of plant parasites, as well as a significant negative relationships between C: N and fungal feeders, also between the soil pH and the taxonomic diversity of nematodes and the relative abundance of bacterial feeders and EI. The entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema affine Bovien revealed on the island has been reported for the first time in Russia.
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