Soil Biology & Ecology
Part 2 – 92 | Unit 2.3
Lecture 1: Soil Biology & Ecology
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- Colpoda divide once or twice per day at 12oC
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- Ciliates have fringe of small hairs used for locomotion
- Amoebae have an amorphous body shape
- Flagellates have a whip-like tail for locomotion
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(feed on detritus)
ii. Nematodes (1/500 inch in diameter, 1/20 inch in length)
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iii. Rotifers (1/50 to 1/120 inch long)
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or litter (32,000 to 2 million per m^2 )
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filter feeding on bacteria, yeast, and algae in the soil water
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iv. Tardigrades (1/25 inch)
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rotifers or nematodes and suck out fluids; others consume whole microfauna
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v. Functional roles of microfauna do not include shredding of organic matter into
smaller pieces
c) Mesofauna
i. Potworms (Enchytraeida, 1/50 to 2 inches long)
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ii. Collembolans (springtails, 1/100 to 4 inches long)
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arthropods
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