88
E. Vavoulidou et al.
must consume was locally is available, primarily organic matter, depends largely on
the unseen microbial majority, which in grassland, savannah soils is responsible for
about 5–20% and in temperate and boreal forests for about 80% nitrogen (N) demand
supply concerned, and in particular metabolic active earthworms suffer under the
intensification of soil cultivation (Fig. 1; Tables 1 and 2; [14, 15]). Earthworms, e.g.
Lumbricus rubellus, pass organic, clay rich soil, on which microbes are attached,
through the gastrointestinal tract and excrete with the faeces microbial survivors,
which find in burrow casts good living conditions, increase in abundance, and can
feedback on the earthworm health by pre-digesting organic matter and solubilising
inorganic soil particles [16]. Microbes, including mycorrhizal fungi are passing the
gastrointestinal tract of soil faunal members (Table 1), are thus controlled in multiplication but also spread in the soil environment and can contribute as mycorrhizal
fungi to satisfy the phosphorus (P) demand of soil turning around faunal groups by
about 75% (Chaps. 2 and 3; [14, 17–29]).
Tillage, climate, and soil faunal activities co-shape the soil texture and soil profiles
memorize and illustrate related footprints in quantity and quality (Fig. 1) [29, 32–
34]. The soil inhabiting microbial and faunal biodiversity is continuously forced to
adapt on the changing availability of soil resources and although ants, moles, and
soil components intermixing, for plants nutrients consumable making earthworms
(Figs. 2, 3 and 4) comprise only a small fraction within the soil biota biomass (Table
1), they major change a soil profile structure (Fig. 1; [35–38]). Such soil profiles
changes give farmers hints how the soil biology could be better integrated in plant
productivity increasing cultivation concepts. It is observed across different climates
and countries that cultivation intensity directly affects the macro-fauna. In particularly ploughing affects the total earthworm species diversity abundance and biomass,
whereas the smaller sized soil fauna members can be favoured [2–4, 39–42 ]. Also a
winter cover crop, as observed at the Horseshoe Bend long-term experimental area
in Georgia, United States, can have an influence on the magnitude of earthworms
and micro-arthropods [43]. In the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production
system abundance and biomass of earthworms and micro-arthropods as collembola
(springtails) and mesostigmata mites were under no-tillage higher, whereas conventionally tilled soil favoured the enchytraeid population. Apart from the less sensitive
reacting of micro-arthropods on mechanical injury, soil inversion exerted tillage, the
trombid forming Prostigmata mites seemingly are an exception and the nematode
community exhibited cultivation responses concerned conflicting results, which may
ascribed to tillage timing and nematode feeding type differences [44–46].
Crotty et al. [49] have studied from 2009 up to 2013 the pivotal role of soil fauna
members within different forage crops and land use management after the stony,
well-drained loam field, that was either ploughed or direct drilled at sowing, was for
3 years cropped to a stable ryegrass (Lolium perenne), perennial red clover (Trifolium
pratense), white clover (Trifolium repens) or chicory (Cichorium intybus) system.
After the 3 years stable cropping the system was changed an annual arable crop
rotation, to a five-year rotation cycle. Tested was in a 4 replicate plots randomised
block designed experiment how the soil faunal population alters cultivation dependent in dynamic, diversity and abundance. The first sown crop in 2013 was spring
E. Vavoulidou et al.
must consume was locally is available, primarily organic matter, depends largely on
the unseen microbial majority, which in grassland, savannah soils is responsible for
about 5–20% and in temperate and boreal forests for about 80% nitrogen (N) demand
supply concerned, and in particular metabolic active earthworms suffer under the
intensification of soil cultivation (Fig. 1; Tables 1 and 2; [14, 15]). Earthworms, e.g.
Lumbricus rubellus, pass organic, clay rich soil, on which microbes are attached,
through the gastrointestinal tract and excrete with the faeces microbial survivors,
which find in burrow casts good living conditions, increase in abundance, and can
feedback on the earthworm health by pre-digesting organic matter and solubilising
inorganic soil particles [16]. Microbes, including mycorrhizal fungi are passing the
gastrointestinal tract of soil faunal members (Table 1), are thus controlled in multiplication but also spread in the soil environment and can contribute as mycorrhizal
fungi to satisfy the phosphorus (P) demand of soil turning around faunal groups by
about 75% (Chaps. 2 and 3; [14, 17–29]).
Tillage, climate, and soil faunal activities co-shape the soil texture and soil profiles
memorize and illustrate related footprints in quantity and quality (Fig. 1) [29, 32–
34]. The soil inhabiting microbial and faunal biodiversity is continuously forced to
adapt on the changing availability of soil resources and although ants, moles, and
soil components intermixing, for plants nutrients consumable making earthworms
(Figs. 2, 3 and 4) comprise only a small fraction within the soil biota biomass (Table
1), they major change a soil profile structure (Fig. 1; [35–38]). Such soil profiles
changes give farmers hints how the soil biology could be better integrated in plant
productivity increasing cultivation concepts. It is observed across different climates
and countries that cultivation intensity directly affects the macro-fauna. In particularly ploughing affects the total earthworm species diversity abundance and biomass,
whereas the smaller sized soil fauna members can be favoured [2–4, 39–42 ]. Also a
winter cover crop, as observed at the Horseshoe Bend long-term experimental area
in Georgia, United States, can have an influence on the magnitude of earthworms
and micro-arthropods [43]. In the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production
system abundance and biomass of earthworms and micro-arthropods as collembola
(springtails) and mesostigmata mites were under no-tillage higher, whereas conventionally tilled soil favoured the enchytraeid population. Apart from the less sensitive
reacting of micro-arthropods on mechanical injury, soil inversion exerted tillage, the
trombid forming Prostigmata mites seemingly are an exception and the nematode
community exhibited cultivation responses concerned conflicting results, which may
ascribed to tillage timing and nematode feeding type differences [44–46].
Crotty et al. [49] have studied from 2009 up to 2013 the pivotal role of soil fauna
members within different forage crops and land use management after the stony,
well-drained loam field, that was either ploughed or direct drilled at sowing, was for
3 years cropped to a stable ryegrass (Lolium perenne), perennial red clover (Trifolium
pratense), white clover (Trifolium repens) or chicory (Cichorium intybus) system.
After the 3 years stable cropping the system was changed an annual arable crop
rotation, to a five-year rotation cycle. Tested was in a 4 replicate plots randomised
block designed experiment how the soil faunal population alters cultivation dependent in dynamic, diversity and abundance. The first sown crop in 2013 was spring