Small creaters

Nematodes

They are a diverse part of the animal realm, inhabiting a ride range of habitats/environments. They have been found in almost every type of ecosystem out their, ranging from salt and fresh water, to soils from the polar regions straight down to the equator.

Around an estimated 90 percent of nematodes species identified reside in the top 15 cm of the soil fauna. Unlike worms, they do not decompose organic matter, instead they are free living. They can be parasitic.

They are one of natures ways of controlling the bacteria population of getting to out of hand.

FUN FACT Nematode were part of an ongoing research project conducted on the space shuttle Columbia, they were able to survive re-entry breakup back into and through the earths atmosphere.

Soil Fauna: Classification

Five major groupings are widely accepted: classification based on body size; time spent in the soil; location or habitat in the soil profile; feeding strategies; and method of locomotion in the soil

body size:

Time in soil:

habitat within soil:

feeding habits:

locomotion within the soil:

References

Nationwide, SARE. “Small and Medium-Size Soil Animals.” SARE: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Building-Soils-for-Better-Crops-3rd-Edition/Text-Version/The-Living-Soil/Small-and-Medium-Size-Soil-Animals.

Hendricks, David M. “5. Animals and Soil in Arizona.” Animals and Soil In, www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/swetc/azso/body.1_div.5.html.