Mm. Davidson et Pa. Broady, ANALYSIS OF GUT CONTENTS OF GOMPHIOCEPHALUS-HODGSONI CARPENTER (COLLEMBOLA, HYPOGASTRURIDAE) AT CAPE-GEOLOGY, ANTARCTICA, Polar biology, 16(7), 1996, pp. 463-467
The diet of the collembolan Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni was investigated
by microscopic examination of the contents of 197 faecal pellets and 3
2 guts collected at Cape Geology, Victoria Land, Antarctica. Animals c
ame from nine contrasting microhabitats, ranging from mineral soils to
bryophyte cushions. Thirty-two different types of ingested material w
ere recognised. Detritus, filamentous cyanobacteria, eukaryotic microa
lgae and fungal hyphae were the most frequent. There were marked contr
asts between individuals collected from different microhabitats, which
probably reflected food availability. There was some selectivity in t
hat neither living moss tissue nor the macroscopic chlorophyte alga Pr
asiola crispa was encountered in faeces or guts, despite their being a
bundant in some microhabitats. A comparison of active and inactive ani
mals showed the latter to have a significantly higher proportion of em
pty guts and of guts containing fat globules.