2015.03 Macrofauna sampling on the exprimental site of Versailles

2015.03 Macrofauna sampling on the exprimental site of Versailles

With many participants and despite the challenging climatic conditions, the soil macrofauna on the Versailles site experiment has been sampled in 5 days! (WP2)

The TSBF method was improved and used: anecic earthworm* extraction by soil humidification with the irritating molecule of mustard (AITC), then soil bloc extraction (25 cm3) followed by a manual sorting of the macrofauna (picture on the left).
Finally, macrofauna diversity is poor: the majority of organisms captured are earthworms, with a variable density between plots. Globally, there are few anecic earthworms but more endogeic earthworms* (picture on the right).
Macrofauna sorting and determination is in progress by an enthusiastic team, to be continued…

* anecic earthworm: pigmented worms that construct permanent deep vertical burrows which they use to visit the surface to obtain plant material for food, such as leaves

* endogeic earthworm: non-pigmented worms that create horizontal burrows in upper 10–30 cm of soil. They feed with soil organic matter.

bandeau

Modification date : 04 July 2023 | Publication date : 31 March 2015 | Redactor : wheatamix