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Testing soil nematode extraction efficiency using different variations of the Baermann funnel method

Annika Eva Schulz, Nico Eisenhauer, View ORCID ProfileSimone Cesarz
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/318691
Annika Eva Schulz
1Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
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Nico Eisenhauer
1Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
3Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Simone Cesarz
1Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Dornburger Str. 159, 07743 Jena, Germany
2German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
3Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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  • ORCID record for Simone Cesarz
  • For correspondence: simone.cesarz@idiv.de
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Abstract

Nematodes are increasingly used as powerful bioindicators of soil food web composition and functioning in ecological studies. Todays’ ecological research aims to investigate not only local relationships but global patterns, which requires consistent methodology across locales. Thus, a common and easy extraction protocol of soil nematodes is needed. In this study, we present a detailed protocol of the Baermann funnel method and highlight how different soil pre-treatments and equipment (soil type, amount of soil, sieving, filter type) can affect extraction efficiency and community composition by using natural nematode communities. We found that highest nematode extraction efficiency was achieved using lowest soil weight (25 g instead of 50 g or 100 g) in combination with soil sieving, and by using milk filters (instead of paper towels). PCA at the family level revealed that different pre-treatments significantly affected nematode community composition. Increasing the amount of soil increased the proportion of larger-sized nematodes being able to overcome long distances. Sieving is suggested to break up soil aggregates and, therefore, facilitate moving in general. Interestingly, sieving did not negatively affect larger nematodes that are supposed to have a higher probability of getting bruised during sieving. The present study shows that variations in the extraction protocol can alter the total density and community composition of extracted nematodes and provides recommendations for an efficient and standardized approach in future studies. Having a simple, cheap, and standardized extraction protocol can facilitate the assessment of soil biodiversity in global contexts.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted May 09, 2018.
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Testing soil nematode extraction efficiency using different variations of the Baermann funnel method
Annika Eva Schulz, Nico Eisenhauer, Simone Cesarz
bioRxiv 318691; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/318691
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Testing soil nematode extraction efficiency using different variations of the Baermann funnel method
Annika Eva Schulz, Nico Eisenhauer, Simone Cesarz
bioRxiv 318691; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/318691

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