Abundance of Arthropods in Organic and Inorganic Soil Habitat for Soil Health Bioindicator

Abstract

Inventory or ecological benchmarking of functional groups of arthropods is vital in the development of sustainable management systems that become the vanguard of soil health. This study used two methods of arthropods collection: soil and leaf sifting and pitfall trapping method across organic and inorganic soil habitat. Nine sites were randomly assigned in the organic and the inorganic production area. Kwik-Key Soil Dwelling Invertebrates Guide developed by University of Illinois and Introduction to the Identification of Insects and Related Arthropods by following series question of identifiable features of different soil arthropods were used for identification. There were 14 species collected using soil and leaf sifting method in organic soil habitat while 10 in inorganic soil habitat. For the pitfall trapping method, 11 and 8 in organic and inorganic soil habitat were collected, respectively. Across sites, pitfall trapping collected more arthropods species than soil and leaf sifting method. Different sampling methods collected had an inverse proportion of arthropods collection regardless of soil habitat. Almost all individual arthropods regardless of species were collected from pitfall trapping method, only a small proportion in the sifting method. This study further showed that more species can be collected from sifting method but in case of individual collection; pitfall trapping method is an advantage to use. Soil and leaf sifting method in organic soil habitat collected more diverse species than any other method used based on the result of Shanon and Simpson indices. There were almost similarities or overlapping in the community analysis of the species in all trapping methods and soil habitats.