Spatial Distribution of the Nematode Community on Perrine Marl Soils

Authors

  • R. McSorley
  • W. H. Dankers
  • J. L. Parrado
  • J. S. Reynolds

Keywords:

Free-Living Nematodes, Sampling, Taylor's Power Law, Plot Size, Aggregation, Nematode Ecology

Abstract

Taylor's power law was used to investigate patterns in the spatial distribution of plantparasitic and free-living nematodes in fallow Perrine marl soil used mainly for potato production in southern Florida. Highly significant (P = 0.01) linear regression equations relating logarithms of means and variances were developed for populations of most nematode genera examined. Fits to regression lines were slightly better for genera having only one species represented in the study sites than for genera represented by several species. Estimates of the parameter b of Taylor's power law, an index of aggregation, ranged from 0.66 (dispersed) to 2.12 (aggregated) for the cases studied, with most estimates ranging from about 1.10 to 1.80. For each genus, there was relative consistency in the magnitude of b, regardless of plot size. Examples of strongly aggregated and weakly aggregated genera could be found among both plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes, with little relationship to feeding h

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Published

1985-06-01

Issue

Section

Articles