AAFC has funded two projects to characterize soil biodiversity and its relationships with soil physico-chemical parameters and land use. The Atlantic provinces project is led by Dr. Louis-Pierre Comeau and co-led by Dr Claudia Goyer, both with the AAFC’s Fredericton Research and Development Centre. Soil nematode diversity and soil respiration assessments are carried out at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
The aim of the Atlantic Canada nematode project is to evaluate the composition and abundance of nematode communities in NB, PEI, NS, and NL. Relationships between nematodes community composition ecoregions, land use, and soil physicochemical properties are explored.
Nematode communities as (bio)indicators of soil quality?
- Occur in all soils; are diverse and abundant
- Respond quickly to management disturbance
- Influenced by soil physical and chemical properties
- Contribute to soil nutrient turnover (bacterial and fungal feeders)
Soil carbon stats via respiration measurements:
•What do we understand about changes in C cycling under conditions of land conversion?
•Can different methods of managing converted land result in increases of carbon?
•How can we use this knowledge to better inform management decisions?
