Checklist of soil nematodes, based on vegetation, from the south Goa district, Goa

Abstract

Tendency amongst the world's conservationists is to focus on large charismatic species (Vandermeer and Perfecto, 1997). But loss of inconspicuous species, belowground biota, is one of the very bases of biodiversity crisis. Nematodes constitute a major part of belowground diversity and are most abundant and important metazoans in the soil ecosystem. As part of soil organic matter, nematodes are key soil components in soil fertility, crop productivity and ecosystem functioning, thus sustaining soil ecosystem health by playing a major role in decomposition or recycling dead organic matter. For the present study 50 samples were collected from five talukas of South Goa District, covering 25 villages and 20 different landscapes. Permanent slides were prepared using Cobb's decanting and sieving method and modified Baermann's Funnel method. The study resulted in recording 52 species of 7 orders and their presence or absence in various landscapes.