Life below the surface
Imagine taking a tree and shaking it, collecting everything that falls out. Then try and make sense of each of the creatures and their relationships. That is is the problem we face when we have collected our little soil friends.
How do we know what they do and how they relate when we cant see them moving around. Instead we have a pile of dead creatures. Finding way to explore this dilemma is the fascination of this area of world.
There is much to be discovered. And there must be many ways to do so. Trees and soil animals probably co-evolved over millions of years. Looking at that relationship helps us work out the conundrums going on below our feet.
Most of the creatures are small - just beyond our eye sight. They are like specs. They have to move round either by burrowing or using pores and some other creatures tunnels. In terms of total weight or biomass, worms equal all the mesofauna together; it's just there are lots more of the latter smaller creatures.... What are these birds after? Worms, ? Larva? Ground Beetles. These beetles feed on smaller creatures like the springtails, larva, by vomiting on them and sucking in the digest. Starling (worms eye view.jpg) opening up hole in soil, looking for insect larvae (Video)
The creatures we have seen on the soil surface relate with these just beneath ...
Just below surface you can find all three main groups of springtails - Sympylids, Entomobryis and Podomorhs are found just beneath. There they eat bits of fungi and root exudates, and in so dong help pass on fungal spores. This helps establish mycorrhizal relatinships.
Is the body long with distinct segments? (if 'yes' go to 2). If 'No'..
1 Symphypleona Dicrytomidae and Arrhopalitidae. These round-bodied (dynamically good for holding water) springtails are often near the surface and some live on the surface in vegetation, like grass.
Is the first thoracic segment visible?. If yes..
2. Poduromorpha - include snow flea often found on water and Onychiurids Both feed on bits sloughed off roots...and on mycorrhizal fungal
3. Entomobryomorpha Folsomia (F.candida) are currently used in laboratory tests for the early detection of soil pollution. Acute and chronic toxicity tests have been performed by researchers, mostly using the parthenogenetic isotomidFolsomia candida.[look at source] .Jumping behaviour of F.candida indicates metal contamination on soil
ISO Standard for evaluating toxicity to F.candida in lab conditions, as way to determine soil quality
Springtails in history Snow flea (poduromorph) moving around to the refrains of Tom Waits singing its praises..
Symphyla
These are related to centipedes and prey on springtails Have a look at a couple alive. They feed directly on plant roots, so can be a pest to crops
Pauropods
First fossil evidence goes back 65mya, butu were proably around when soils first started to form
Mesostigmatid mites
A bountiful supply of springtails provide source of prey for mesostigmatid mites.
Click image to see Meso muunchin.
Proturans
These creatures weren't discovered till the 20th century. they feed on organic matter released by decay. They are considered the earliest 6-legged creatures to evolve.
Worms
The worms you are most likely to find just below the surface are the same as the ones used to make wormeries. They are called 'red wigglies' are are one of a group of worms called epigeic. ‘Epigeic’ is the Greek translation for ‘on the earth,’ because these worms do not build burrows, and instead reside amongst decaying organic matter on the soil surface.
Epigeic species tend to have dark skin colour (pigmentation). The pigmentation acts as camouflage as they move through the leaf litter.
