Ecology of Soil Microfauna in the Cropland of Siwan, Bihar
Author : Anurag Srivastava
Abstract :
Microfauna that live in the rhizosphere of plants can also affect plant productivity and composition by feeding on plant roots and by altering the production of plant hormones and defenses. Soil microfauna are themselves a food source for other soil organisms, such as soil mesofauna, and once dead, saprophytic soil microbes. The population size and diversity of microfauna can thus be controlled top-down by other soil biota, bottom-up by the host plant and their mutualists, or through competitive interactions finally, soil microfauna, such as entomopathogenic nematodes, can contribute to insect pest suppression. These nematodes inject their endosymbiotic bacteria into insect larvae, where the bacteria kill and pre-digest the insect host which then serves as food for the nematodes.
Keywords :
Microfauna, cropland, fungi, ecology.
