Soil Fauna Activities in Agricultural Greek Landscapes
93
what relativizes the soil faunal regulation as also burrowing earthworm exemplify,
which not only stabilize the soil bulk density by improving hydraulic conductivity
and air permeability, but also destabilize the soil structure (Fig. 1) as soil cultivation
and TNF fertilization [10, 13, 18, 63–70]. Soil protists, widespread in the various
environments, reside in soil pores, subdivided in highly competitive r- and more environmentally resistant K-selected strategists, in flagellates, amoeba, ciliates, testacea
(r = maximal intrinsic rate of natural increase; K refers to carrying capacity; [71]).
The around 0.75 mm sized nematodes or roundworms, a representative of the soil
micro-fauna is the <20 µm sizedCaenorhabditis elegans, depend on the soil water
content and survive dry periods as cysts. Nemadotes help co-controlling microbial
multiplication are thus a keystone in evolution, phylogenetic and functional ecology,
in macro-, paleoecology, and conservation biology (Table 1; [12, 44, 49, 66, 72, 73]).
To the mesa-fauna belong the enchytraeids or pot-worms, having a body diameter of 0.05 to 1.5 mm and the smaller sized worms of the phylum Annelida, class
Oligochaeta, body length 0.5–20 mm (Fig. 2). Other mesa-fauna members are the
until the twentieth century inconspicuous and thus unnoticed proturans, class Entognatha, order Protura, nickname coneheads (soil bears), the wingless, worldwide 12
families and around 830 species comprising soil hexapods, the small, pale, in soil
and leaf mould living millipede-like pauropods, the in size larger free-living, humid
conditions preferring omnivorous springtails (collembola), the 0.3 mm large Arachnida, Araneae with Nuctenea sclopetaria as example, and theOpiliones, for which
earthworms are a significant diet [74–77]. Mesa-fauna members are further the litter
inhabiting, 10–180 mm sized Scorpiones (Euscorpiidae), of which the females adapt
their size on the litter quality, the micro-grazing, micro-predating, detritivore and in
nearly all environments found Isopoda, the 2–35 cm long detritivoreDiplopoda or
Millipedes with few (around eleven) or over hundred body segments, and the 3–6 cm
long Chilopoda or Centipedes [14, 78–82].
The order Hymenoptera with more than 115,000 described species, the in soils
digging ants, termites, moles and earthworms represent the macro-fauna. Earthworms
have body sizes 6–30 cm, body widths >2 cm and the family Lumbricidae (Fig. 2)
comprises 670 known species. The order Hymenoptera comprises ants, bees, sawflies,
wasps and the closely related order Isoptera (termites; [60, 83, 84]). The digging
macro-fauna destabilizes during the construction of mounds (nests) or burrows the
soil texture and uses nutrients recycling bacteria, archaea, and fungi to pre-decompose
litter, which then can be used as food source. Ants, termites and earthworms fertilize
their living spaces and the surrounding environment with wastes and excrements and
earthworms re-stabilize the soil texture by plugging the burrows with mucus and by
condensing the soil during burrow construction [85, 86]. Also the omnivores arachnids, the scavenging and predating Opiliones (harvestmen), the moist soil microhabitats inhabiting Scorpiones (scorpions), the on soft-bodied fauna feeding Chilopoda
(centepedes), the on microbially pre-decomposed plant residues feeding Diploda
(millipedes), woodlice, and isopods are soil macro-fauna members (Table 1). During
their digging activities distribute the ecosystem engineers, Isoptera, Hymenoptera,
Lumbricidae microflora and the small fauna members in soils by transporting organic
residues from the soil surface into the burrows. For farmers are earthworms soil health
93
what relativizes the soil faunal regulation as also burrowing earthworm exemplify,
which not only stabilize the soil bulk density by improving hydraulic conductivity
and air permeability, but also destabilize the soil structure (Fig. 1) as soil cultivation
and TNF fertilization [10, 13, 18, 63–70]. Soil protists, widespread in the various
environments, reside in soil pores, subdivided in highly competitive r- and more environmentally resistant K-selected strategists, in flagellates, amoeba, ciliates, testacea
(r = maximal intrinsic rate of natural increase; K refers to carrying capacity; [71]).
The around 0.75 mm sized nematodes or roundworms, a representative of the soil
micro-fauna is the <20 µm sizedCaenorhabditis elegans, depend on the soil water
content and survive dry periods as cysts. Nemadotes help co-controlling microbial
multiplication are thus a keystone in evolution, phylogenetic and functional ecology,
in macro-, paleoecology, and conservation biology (Table 1; [12, 44, 49, 66, 72, 73]).
To the mesa-fauna belong the enchytraeids or pot-worms, having a body diameter of 0.05 to 1.5 mm and the smaller sized worms of the phylum Annelida, class
Oligochaeta, body length 0.5–20 mm (Fig. 2). Other mesa-fauna members are the
until the twentieth century inconspicuous and thus unnoticed proturans, class Entognatha, order Protura, nickname coneheads (soil bears), the wingless, worldwide 12
families and around 830 species comprising soil hexapods, the small, pale, in soil
and leaf mould living millipede-like pauropods, the in size larger free-living, humid
conditions preferring omnivorous springtails (collembola), the 0.3 mm large Arachnida, Araneae with Nuctenea sclopetaria as example, and theOpiliones, for which
earthworms are a significant diet [74–77]. Mesa-fauna members are further the litter
inhabiting, 10–180 mm sized Scorpiones (Euscorpiidae), of which the females adapt
their size on the litter quality, the micro-grazing, micro-predating, detritivore and in
nearly all environments found Isopoda, the 2–35 cm long detritivoreDiplopoda or
Millipedes with few (around eleven) or over hundred body segments, and the 3–6 cm
long Chilopoda or Centipedes [14, 78–82].
The order Hymenoptera with more than 115,000 described species, the in soils
digging ants, termites, moles and earthworms represent the macro-fauna. Earthworms
have body sizes 6–30 cm, body widths >2 cm and the family Lumbricidae (Fig. 2)
comprises 670 known species. The order Hymenoptera comprises ants, bees, sawflies,
wasps and the closely related order Isoptera (termites; [60, 83, 84]). The digging
macro-fauna destabilizes during the construction of mounds (nests) or burrows the
soil texture and uses nutrients recycling bacteria, archaea, and fungi to pre-decompose
litter, which then can be used as food source. Ants, termites and earthworms fertilize
their living spaces and the surrounding environment with wastes and excrements and
earthworms re-stabilize the soil texture by plugging the burrows with mucus and by
condensing the soil during burrow construction [85, 86]. Also the omnivores arachnids, the scavenging and predating Opiliones (harvestmen), the moist soil microhabitats inhabiting Scorpiones (scorpions), the on soft-bodied fauna feeding Chilopoda
(centepedes), the on microbially pre-decomposed plant residues feeding Diploda
(millipedes), woodlice, and isopods are soil macro-fauna members (Table 1). During
their digging activities distribute the ecosystem engineers, Isoptera, Hymenoptera,
Lumbricidae microflora and the small fauna members in soils by transporting organic
residues from the soil surface into the burrows. For farmers are earthworms soil health