Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 1

Practical 1 Soil ecosystems - soil biota and food webs

Reading
Coyne M.S. 1999. Soil Microbiology. Delmar Publishers. Ch. 4 The macrofauna.

Soil Biology Primer [online]. http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/

Chapter 1 The soil food web
Chapter 2 The food web and soil health

also check the DSO Resources folder for other references.

Introduction
An ecosystem is made up of plants, animals (biodiversity) and abiotic factors which work
together to capture, store and transfer energy, nutrients and water. For example plants
“capture” energy via photosynthesis and energy is stored as carbohydrates in plants or fats
and proteins in animals after they have eaten the plants. Soil organisms break down plant
and animal tissues and transfer the energy to themselves, while returning nutrients to the
soil for uptake by plants. The many organisms in an ecosystem carry out these ecosystem
functions, and the more diverse an ecosystem is, the more stable and reliable are these
functions. The soil provides a good, easily studied example of an ecosystem.

The Task Assessing macrofauna

1.1 Macrofauna accelerate the rate of organic matter decomposition. They break
organic material into smaller pieces, and mix organic matter with soil. However, the
relative numbers of macrofauna to microfauna in the soil is small.

Collect a sample of the leaf litter (O Horizon) and topsoil (A Horizon – no deeper than
about 3cm) from two different locations. Choose from lawn, native vegetation, garden bed,
under different species of tree etc. or other distinctive site. Place the sample in plastic bags,
seal them and label them with your name and the collection location. At each site, record
Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 2

the type of vegetation at the site (eg. forest, swamp, lawn etc.) and some of the site
characteristics in the table below, then use this to compare the soil habitat of the two sites.
If you do not have the equipment necessary (eg. pH kit or soil penetrometer), skip that
characteristic.

Site Characteristic Site 1 Site 2

type of vegetation
level of shade
soil dryness/dampness
soil pH
soil compactness
soil texture (sandy, heavy clay
etc)

On return to the lab, mix the soil and leaf litter sample from the same location thoroughly.
Put a known volume of one sample in the Tulgren funnel. Leave it for about 2 days, then
remove the preserving jar containing ethanol and screw on the lid. Place the sample from
the second location in the Tulgren funnel, and remove after about 2 days, following the
same procedure. If you know the volume of soil you examined, you will be able to directly
compare the macrofauna abundance between the two sites.

Tulgren-type funnels for the extraction of

soil fauna
Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 3

1.2 From the bags, examine a measured volume of the leaf litter (O Horizon) and the
topsoil (A Horizon) using a microscope or hand lense. Remove any fauna found to a clean
jar or petri dish for identification. Identify all organisms to Order if possible, but at least
put them into different groups (ie. group A no legs – worms; group B 8 legs – spiders and
mites etc.). Count the number of individuals from each Order or group. If you have large
numbers you may need to estimate the number rather than try to count them all.
1.3
(a) larger macrofauna
Macrofauna Order number @ location 1 number @ location 2
or group
soil volume = ____ soil volume = ____

1.4 Empty the contents of the collecting jar into a petri dish, and identify as many
organisms as possible to Order or group. Count the number of individuals from each Order
or group (as far as possible).
Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 4

(b) smaller macrofauna

Macrofauna Order number @ location 1 number @ location 2

or group
soil volume = ____ soil volume = ____
Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 5

1.5 Use the results from both counts (1.2 and 1.3) and calculate the number of Orders
or groups per litre of soil and leaf litter, and the numbers of individuals from each Order or
group per litre of soil and leaf litter.

Macrofauna location 1 location 2

number of Orders or groups per litre of soil/litter

eg. no. individuals of group B per litre of soil/litter 15 7

no. individuals of per litre of soil/litter

no. individuals of per litre of soil/litter

Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 6

Your Report - Explaining the role of the soil biota

Your report should have a title, a brief introduction explaining what the prac is about,
and a brief discussion (about 600 words) of the following questions. You must also
include a summary table of your results. This report can be written as a “question and
answer” style, but it must be correctly referenced.

• How did the diversity (number of groups and number of individuals) of macrofauna
from the soils from the two locations differ ? Can you suggest why there might be
differences. What soil parameters could you have measured which may help explain the
differences ?

• Explain the role of macrofauna in the soil.

• On the food web diagram provided, label the type of biota (eg. fungi, nematode
etc.). what they do (predator, leaf shredder etc) and describe which way the energy
“flows” eg. where does it first get “captured” and where does it “finish” (ie. the top of
the food chain). What happens to the energy and nutrients when the organisms at the
top of the food chain die? Include this diagram with your report.
Ecosystems &Biodiversity Soil Ecosystems 7

• What groups of organisms make up the mesofauna ? What groups make up the
microfauna? What are the main functions of these two main groups ?

• Food webs can indicate the biological complexity, and therefore the health, of the
soil. Explain how our land management practices alter soil health.

• Explain how the soil biota contribute to the functioning of the soil ecosystem. What
ecosystem services do they regulate ?

Due Date

Check the Assessment Details File for the date. This report is worth 10% of your
total mark.