Mineral cycling in soil and litter arthropod food chains. Progress report, November 1, 1980-October 31, 1981
Progress and current status are reported for research projects concerned with mineral element and nutrient dynamics in soil arthropod food chains. Research is performed within the larger context of terrestrial decomposition, in which soil arthropods may act as regulators of nutrient dynamics during decomposition. Research is measuring rates of nutrient accumulation and excretion by using radioactive tracer analogs of nutrients. This year, emphasis has been placed on field work in which soil arthropod population size and nutrients inputs were varied experimentally. The presence of microarthropods in field microcosms increased the mineralization of N and P in each case, but rates were not correlated with arthropod densities. Experiments recently started are using both arthropod and microfloral inhibitors, in open systems on the forest floor, with the objective of quantifying arthropod enhancement of microbial immobilization of nutrients.
- Research Organization:
- Georgia Univ., Athens (USA). Dept. of Entomology
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS09-76EV00641
- OSTI ID:
- 6342920
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EV/00641-45; ON: DE81027573; TRN: 81-015369
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Mineral cycling in soil and litter arthropod food chains. Progress report, November 1, 1981-January 31, 1983
Mineral cycling in soil and litter arthropod food chains. Annual progress report, February 1, 1983-January 31, 1984
Related Subjects
FOREST LITTER
MINERAL CYCLING
SOILS
ARTHROPODS
DECOMPOSITION
FOOD CHAINS
MINERALIZATION
NITROGEN
NUTRIENTS
PHOSPHORUS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
INVERTEBRATES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
510101* - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- Radiometric Techniques- (-1989)