Scholarly record
DIVERSITY OF SOIL NEMATODES IN THE TREATENED ECOSYSTEMS OF PONICKA CAVE.
Abstract
Ponicka Cave, situated in central Slovakia, is a natural wonder, known for its stunning stalagmites, stalactites, and underground lakes. This unique cave system has a hydrological connection to the Earth's surface, representing a very vulnerable habitat. Long-lasting intensive livestock grazing in the aquifer area of Ponicka cave and insufficiently insulated manure dump were the main reasons for the contamination of this cave. Soil nematodes are the most abundant multicellular organisms on Earth with respect to both species- richness and abundance. They are ubiquitous invertebrates in the soil that include a variety of feeding types, and they perform key functions in soil food webs. They are considered as one of the best soils bioindicators. Although the mesofauna of caves in Slovakia is relatively well described, information about soil nematodes are missing. In this study, we present the first data on the fauna of free-living and plant-parasitic nematode species from soil taken in the Karst region (karst spring, ponor, sink hole) and manure. Totally we identified 54 nematode species across 43 genera, 28 families, and 9 orders. The highest number of identified nematode species (44) was observed in Ponor, while 33 species were observed in both the karst springs and in a sinkhole and only 8 species were found in manure. Bacterivores were the dominant trophic group in all sites. Differences in nematode species composition in sites around Ponicka Cave, showing the differences in the environmental conditions nearby and site characteristic. This study emphasizes how important it is to know, understand and protect the soil biota that plays an important role in keeping the cave and the surrounding environment healthy.
Publication Impact Profile
- Citations
- CrossRef - Citation Indexes: 1
- Scopus - Citation Indexes: 1
- Captures
- Mendeley - Readers: 3
Publication details
References11
Haviarova D., Monitoring kvality vod podzemneho hydrologickeho systemu Ponickejjaskyne, Aragonit, vol. 13, pp 20-24, 2008.
Culver, D.C., Pipan, T., Shallow subterranean habitats: ecology, evolution, andconservation. UK, pp 1-21, 2014. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646173.003.0001
Du Preez, G., Majdi, N., Swart, A., Traunspurger, W., Fourie, H., Nematodes in caves:a historical perspective on their occurrence, distribution and ecological relevance.Nematology, vol. 19, pp 627-644, 2017. DOI: 10.1163/15685411-00003068
Bongers, T., The Maturity Index, the evolution of nematode life history traits, adaptiveradiation and cp-scaling. Plant and Soil, vol. 212, pp 13-22, 1990. DOI: 10.1023/a:1004571900425
Van Bezooijen, J., Methods and techniques for nematology. Netherland, pp 118, 2006.
Yeates, G. W., Bongers, T., De Goede, R. G., Freckman, D. W., Georgieva, S.,Feeding habits in soil nematode families and genera�an outline for soil ecologists.Journal of Nematology, vol. 25, pp 315-331, 1993.
Yeates, G. W. Abundance, diversity, and resilience of nematode assemblages in forestsoils. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, vol 37, pp 216 � 225, 2007. DOI: 10.1139/x06-172
Baxter, C., Rowan, J., McKenzie, B., Neilson, R., Understanding soil erosion impactsin temperate agroecosystems: bridging the gap between geomorphology and soil ecologyusing nematodes as a model organism. Biogeosciences, vol 10, pp 7133-7145, 2013. DOI: 10.5194/bg-10-7133-2013
Hodda, M., Ocana, A., Traunspurger, W., Nematodes from extreme freshwaterhabitats. In: Eyualem-Abebe, Andrassy, I. & Traunspurger, W. (Eds). Freshwaternematodes: ecology and taxonomy. UK, pp 179-210, 2006. DOI: 10.1079/9780851990095.0179
Cayrol, J., Contribution a l�etude de la faune nematologique de quelques grottes dusud de la France. Annales de Speleologie. vol 22, 297-307. 1967
Jansen van Rensburg, C. Nematodes from the Bakwena Cave in Irene, South Africa.M.Sc. Thesis, Ghent, Belgium, pp 51, 2010.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.