Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Energetics of Detritivory and Microbivory in Soil in Theory and Practice

  • Chapter
Food Webs

Abstract

The tradition of food webs and food chains is a proud one, with some of the pioneering efforts traceable to the studies of Summerhayes and Elton (1923) in Spitsbergen. This early effort explicitly linked detrital biotic interactions with other parts of the terrestrial and aquatic food web (Figure 3.1). Very little work on detrital food webs was conducted for several decades, with some further insights gained from the studies of Lindeman (1942), who developed the concept of trophic levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Anderson, J. M., S. A. Huish, P. Meson, M. A. Leonard, and P. R. Splatt. 1985. Interactions of invertebrates, micro-organisms, and tree roots in nitrogen and mineral element fluxes in deciduous woodland soils. In Ecological Interactions in Soil: Plants, Microbes and Animals, Special Publication 4, eds. A. H. Fitter, D. Atkinson, D. J. Read, and M. B. Usher, pp. 377–392. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, U.K.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrén, O.,T. Lindberg, K. Paustian, and T. Rosswall, eds. 1990.Ecology of Arable Land. Organisms,Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling. Munksgaard International, Copenhagen,Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bath, E., U. Lohm, B. Lundgren, T. Rosswall, B. Soderstrom, and B. Sohlenius. 1981. Impact of microbial-feeding animals on total soil activity and nitrogen dynamics: A soil microcosm experiment. Oikos 37: 257–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barron, G. L. 1988. Microcolonies of bacteria as a nutrient source for lignicolous and other fungi. Canadian Journal of Botany 66: 2505–2510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battley, E. H. 1987.Energetics of Microbial Growth . Wiley-Interscience, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beare, M.H., R.W. Parmelee, P.F. Hendrix, W. Cheng, D.C. Coleman and D.A. Crossley, Jr. 1992. Microbial and faunal interactions and effects on litter nitrogen and decomposition in agroecosystems. Ecological Monographs 62: 569–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beare, M. H., D. C. Coleman, D. A. Crossley Jr., P. F. Hendrix, and E. P. Odum. 1995. A hierarchical approach to evaluating the significance of soil biodiversity to biogeochemical cycling. Plant Soil. 170: 5–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Behan-Pelletier, V. M. and B. Bissett. 1992. Bio-diversity of Nearctic soil arthropods.Canadian Biodiversity 2: 5–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bignell, D. E. 1984. The arthropod gut as an environment for microorganisms. In Invertebrate-Microbial Interactions, eds. J. M. Anderson, A. D. M. Rayner, and D. W. H. Walton, pp. 205–227. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bouché, M. B. 1975. Action de la faune sur les états de la matiére organique dans les écosystemes. In Biodégradation et Humification, eds. G. Kilbertus, O. Reisinger, A. Mourey, and J. A. Cancela da Fonseca, pp. 157–168. Pierron, Sarrugemines, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chakraborty, S., K. M. Old, and J. H. Warcup. 1983. Amoebae from a take-all suppressive soil which feed on Gaeumannomyces graminis trit-ici and other soil fungi. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 15: 17–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chakraborty, S. and J. H. Warcup. 1983. Soil amoebae and saprophytic survival of Gaeumannomyces graminis tritici in a suppressive pasture soil.Soil Biology and Biochemistry 15:181–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarholm, M. 1985. Possible roles for roots, bacteria, protozoa and fungi in supplying nitrogen to plants. In Ecological Interactions in Soil: Plants, Microbes and Animals, eds. A. H. Fitter, D. Atkinson, D. J. Read, and M. B. Usher, pp. 355–365. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, U.K.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. C., R. Andrews, J. E. Ellis, and J. S. Singh. 1976. Energy flow and partitioning in selected man-managed and natural ecosystems. Agro-Ecosystems 3: 45–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. C., P. F. Hendrix, M. H. Beare, W. Cheng, and D. A. Crossley Jr. 1993. Microbial and faunal dynamics as they affect soil organic matter dynamics in subtropical agroecosystems. In Soil Biota and Nutrient Cycling Farming Systems, eds. M. G. Paoletti, W. Foissner, and D. C. Coleman, pp. 1–14. Lewis Publishing Company, Chelsea, MI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. C., C. P. P. Reid, and C. V. Cole. 1983. Biological strategies of nutrient cycling in soil systems. Advances in Ecological Research 13: 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. C. and J. F. T. Schoute. 1993. Translation of soil features across levels of spatial resolution-Introduction to round table discussion. Geoderma 57: 171–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutler, D. W., L. M. Crump, and H. Sandon. 1923. A quantitative investigation of the bacterial and protozoan population of the soil.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (B) Biological Sciences211:317–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel, O. and J. M. Anderson. 1992. Microbial biomass and activity in contrasting soil materials after passage through the gut of the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 24: 465–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeAngelis, D. L. 1992.Dynamics of Nutrient Cycling and Food Webs. Chapman & Hall, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, E. T. and D. C. Coleman, 1988. Let the Soil Work for Us.Ecological Bulletins (Copenhagen) 39: 23–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Ruiter, PI C., J. C. Moore, K. B. Zwart, L. A. Bouwman, J. Hassink, J. Bloem, J. A. De Vos, J. C. Y. Marinissen, W. A. M. Didden, G. Lebbink and L. Brussaard. 1993. Simulation of nitrogen mineralization in the below-ground food webs of two winter wheat fields. J. Appl. Ecol. 30: 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, E. T. 1986. Hierarchic aggregate structure and organic C, N, and P in native and cultivated grassland soils. Soil Science of America Journal 50: 627–633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foster, R. 1985. In situ localization of organic matter in soils. Quaestiones Entomologicae 21: 609–633.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster, R. C., and J. F. Dormaar. 1991. Bacteria-grazing amoebae in situ in the rhizosphere. Biology and Fertility of Soils 11: 83–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadgil, R. L. and P. D. Gadgil. 1975. Suppression of litter decomposition by mycorrhizal roots of Pinus radiata. New Zealand Journal of Forest Science 5: 33–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, B. S. and S. Caul. 1993. Migration of bacterial-feeding nematodes, but not protozoa, to decomposing grass residues. Biology and Fertility of Soils 15: 201–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, V. V. S. R. and J. Germida. 1989. Influence of bacterial-amoebal interactions on sulfur transformations in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 21: 921–930.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hairston, N. G., Jr. and N. G. Hairston Sr. 1993. Cause-effect relationships in energy flow, trophic structure, and interspecific interactions. American Naturalist 142: 379–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, S. J. and D. G. Raffaelli. 1993. Food webs: Theory and reality. Advances in Ecological Research 24: 187–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hendrix, P. F., R. W. Parmelee, D. A. Crossley, Jr., D. C. Coleman, E. P. Odum and P. Groff-man. 1986. Detritus food webs in conventional and no-till agroecosystems. Bioscience 36: 374380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, W. F. 1979. Production and respiration in animal populations. Journal of Animal Ecology 48: 427–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, H. W., D. C. Coleman, E. R. Ingham, R. E. Ingham, E. T. Elliott, J. C. Moore, S. L. Rose, C. P. P. Reid, and C. R. Morley. 1987. The detrital food web in a shortgrass prairie. Biology and Fertility of Soils 3: 57–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingham, R. E., J. A. Trofymow, E. R. Ingham, and D. C. Coleman. 1985. Interactions of bacteria, fungi, and their nematode grazers: Effects on nutrient cycling and plant growth. Ecological Monographs 55: 119–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuikman, P. J., A. G. Jansen, J. A. van Veen, and A. J. B. Zehnder. 1990. Protozoan predation and the turnover of soil organic carbon and nitrogen in the presence of plants. Biology and Fertility of Soils 10: 22–28.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lavelle, P., E. Blanchart, and A. Martin. 1992. Impact of soil fauna on the properties of soils in the humid tropics. In Myths and Science of Soils of the Tropics, eds. R. Lal, and P. Sanchez, pp. 157–185. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavelle, P. and A. Martin. 1992 Small-scale and large-scale effects of endogeic earthworms on soil organic matter dynamics in soils of the humid tropics. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 24: 1491–1498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K. E. and C. E. Pankhurst. 1992. Soil organisms and sustainable productivity. Australian Journal of Soil Research 30: 855–892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindeman, R. L. 1942. The trophic-dynamic aspect of ecology. Ecology 23: 399–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marinissen, J. C. Y. and A. R. Dexter. 1990. Mechanisms of stabilization of earthworm casts and artificial casts. Biology and Fertility of Soils 9: 163–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M. M. 1984. The role of ingested enzymes in the digestive processes of insects. In Invertebrate-Microbial Interactions, eds. J. M. Anderson, A. D. M. Rayner, and D. W. H. Walton, pp. 155–172. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, J. C. and P. C. de Ruiter. 1991. Temporal and spatial heterogeneity of trophic interactions within below-ground food webs. In Modern Techniques in Soil Ecology, eds. D. A. Crossley Jr., D. C. Coleman, P. F. Hendrix, W. Cheng, D. H. Wright, M. H. Beare, and C. A. Edwards, pp. 371–397. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Odum, E. P. 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pahl-Wostl, C. 1993. Food webs and ecological networks across temporal and spatial scales. Oikos 66: 415–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, L. W., P. F. Santos, J. Phillips, and W. G. Whitford. 1984. Carbon and nitrogen dynamics during the decomposition of litter and roots of a Chihuahuan desert annual Lepidium lasiocarpum. Ecological Monographs 54: 339–360.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Payne, W. J. 1970. Energy yields and growth of heterotrophs. Annual Reviews of Microbiology 24: 17–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Persson, T. 1980. Structure and function of northern coniferous forests-An ecosystem study. Ecological Bulletins (Stockholm) 32. 295 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piearce, T. G. and M. J. Phillips. 1980. The fate of ciliates in the earthworm gut: An in vitro study: Microb. Ecol. 5: 313–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinup, S. L. 1982. Food Webs. Chapman and Hall, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polis, G. A. 1991. Complex trophic interactions in deserts: An empirical critique of food-web theory. American Naturalist 138: 123–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porter, K. G. 1975. Enhancement of algal growth and productivity by grazing zooplankton. Science 192: 1332–1334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Summerhayes, V. S. and C. S. Elton. 1923. Contributions to the ecology of Spitsbergen and Bear Island. Journal of Ecology 11: 214–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Syers, J. K., A. N. Sharpley, and D. R. Keeney. 1979a. Cycling of nitrogen by surface-casting earthworms in a pasture ecosystem. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 11:181–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Syers, J. K., J. A. Springett, and A. N. Sharpley. 1979b. The role of earthworms in the cycling of phosphorus in pasture ecosystems. In Proceedings of the Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology, eds. T. K. Crosby, and R. P. Pottinger, pp. 47–49. Government Printer, Wellington, New Zealand.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Noordwijk, M., P. C. de Ruiter, K. B. Zwart, J. Bloem, J. C. Moore, H. G. van Faassen, and S. L. G. E. Burgers. 1993. Synlocation of biological activity, roots, cracks and recent organic inputs in a sugar beet field. Geoderma 56: 265–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, D. E., D. T. Kaplan, and T. A. Permar. 1991. Missing links. A review of methods used to estimate trophic links in soil food webs. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment 34: 399405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wardle, D. A. and G. W. Yeates, 1993. The dual importance of competition and predation as regulatory forces in terrestrial ecosystems: Evidence from decomposer food-webs. Oecologia 93: 303–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiegert, R. G., D. C. Coleman, and E. P. Odum. 1970 Energetics of the litter-soil subsystem, p. 93–98. In J. Phillipson (ed.), Methods of study in soil ecology. Proc. of Symposium. IBP-UNESCO, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitford, W. G., D. W. Freckman, L. W. Parker, D. Schaefer, P. F. Santos, and Y. Steinberger. 1983. The contributions of soil fauna to nutrient cycles in desert systems. In New Trends in Soil Biology, eds. P. Lebrun, H. M. André, A. de Medts, C. Grégoire-Wibo, and G. Wauthy, pp. 49–59. Dieu-Brichart, Ottignies-Louvain-laNeuve, Belgium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeates, G. W. 1981. Soil nematode populations depressed in the presence of earthworms. Pedo-biologia 22: 191–195.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. David C. Coleman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Vanderbilt University, Box 93B, Nashville, Tennesse, 37235, USA

    Gary A. Polis

  2. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A & M University, College Texas, 77843-2258, College Station, Texas, USA

    Kirk O. Winemiller

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Coleman, D.C. (1996). Energetics of Detritivory and Microbivory in Soil in Theory and Practice. In: Polis, G.A., Winemiller, K.O. (eds) Food Webs. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7007-3_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7007-3_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-7009-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-7007-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation