K. Goralczyk, NEMATODES IN A COASTAL DUNE SUCCESSION - INDICATORS OF SOIL PROPERTIES, Agriculture, ecosystems & environment. Applied soil ecology, 9(1-3), 1998, pp. 465-469
The nematode fauna of coastal sand dunes in the Slowinski National Par
k (Poland) were studied. Within the wet parts of dune hollows, vegetat
ional succession starts from bare wet sand gradually colonized by gras
ses and mosses, and changes to plant communities dominated by sundew a
nd heath. The aim of the study was to determine whether vegetation suc
cession was accompanied by a parallel succession of the nematode fauna
. Samples were taken from 12 subsequent stages of vegetational success
ion. The extracted nematodes were determined up to genus level after B
ongers (1987). The percentage of nematodes of different feeding types
(bacteriophagous, fungivorous, predators, plant-parasitic and omnivoro
us) was calculated for every site. Soil moisture (average water table
and actual water content), the existence of an upper organic soil laye
r and pH seem to be the key environmental factors influencing nematode
community structure. Multivariate analysis techniques were used to cl
assify the nematode samples into four groups: A - the nematode communi
ty in sites at early succession stages without permanent colonization
by plants. B - the nematode community in sites at stages with permanen
t plant cover (grasses and higher plants). C and D - the nematode comm
unities in sites with a developing permanent and stable soil organic l
ayer, but differing in water regime. Changes in the incidence of nemat
odes of different feeding types in relation to vegetational succession
support this classification. Nematode community structure changed fro
m a high percentage of predators to a dominance of bacterial feeders.
Fungal feeding nematodes only occur in abundance in sites with a devel
oped organic layer and higher moisture content (group D), and the nema
tode community may be a good indicator of the progress of ecological s
uccession in the deflation hollows. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.