Soil Nematode Community Structure in Two Tropical Pastures

Resumen

Pastures in the semi-arid tropics of Honduras and the humid subtropics of Florida, U.S.A., were sampled in 1991-92 to compare composition of the nematode communities at the trophic group and genus levels under varying climatic conditions. Community structure varied (P 0.10) with location in both the dry and rainy seasons in 1991. Seasonal fluctuations affected (P 0.05) composition of nematode communities at both locations. Composition of some trophic groups within each community differed with location, while composition of other trophic groups were somewhat similar in Honduras and Florida. Cephalobus and Eucephalobus were the most abundant bacterivores in Honduras, but Rhabditis sensu latu and Cervidellus predominated in Florida. Tylenchorhynchus sensu latu was the most abundant plant parasite during the initial dry season in Honduras, but its percentage declined over time as Helicotylenchus and Criconemella increased; the latter two genera were the most common plant parasites in Flo