Project 1: Land as a habitat of soil fauna

Introduction:
Land is one of the most diverse habitats on earth and contains one of the numerous assemblages of living organisms. Soil biota includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, mites, collembolans (springtails), annelids (earthworms), macro arthropods (insects, woodlice) etc. The primary role of soil biota is to recycle organic matter that is derived from the above ground plant based food web.

Objectives:
1. To observe and document some visible life forms present in the land.
2. To record the seasonal variation and the type of biodiversity present in the soils of varying productivity levels.

Methodology:

Soil sampling:
Sample should be taken from the root zone of plants. Collect soil samples with specific quadrat . Take sample from different locations within the area and mix together. Collect the soil and place it in a ziploc bag. It should not be touched with hands. Separate soil samples will be collected for some physico-chemical analysis viz. texture (feel method), colour, pH etc.

To see the organisms in the soil:
1. Larger animals can be easily separated( Earthworms, beetles, etc)
2. To catch small arthropods, take a Tullgren funnel. Set a piece of ¼ inch rigid wire screen in the bottom of the funnel to support the soil. Half fill the funnel with soil, and suspend it over a cup with a bit of anti freeze or ethyl alcohol in the bottom as a preservative. Suspend a light bulb (25 W) for about 4-5 days over the soil to drive the organisms out of the soil. Animals will move away from the light and heat and fall down in the cup placed below.


Observation:
Date
Time:
Weather: Sunny/ Rainy /Cloudy etc.
Sampling area:
Characteristics of the soil:
Sample size:

Analysis:
1. Appropriate data sheet may be created for soil fauna.
2. Abundance of different species or relative density could be analyzed from the data collected using following formula.

Total no. of individuals of the species in all the sampling units
Abundance = -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
No. of sampling units in which the species occurred

Total no. of individual species
Relative density = --------------------------------------------- x 100
Total no. of individual in all species.

3. Seasonal variation of the animals could be noted under different soil conditions.


Conclusion:
1. Significance of habitat choice by the organism can be studied.
2. Dominant species and rare species can be shown.
3. Compare the result between or among the soils.

Relevance of the project:
A comparison of soil macro fauna in different types of soil like, forest, agricultural land, and urban, eroded, etc can be shown. The analysis of results may suggest remedies for eco-restoration of the degraded land.