A Comparative Study on Population of Soil Microarthropods at Two Different Habitats at Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India

S. K. Sarkar, M. N. Moitra, K. Chakraborty

Abstract: Soil samples were collected from two different soil habitats-one agricultural and one brick field in the alluvial plains of northern West Bengal. Abunadance of microarthropod populations differed significantly between the sites (p<0.05). Seasonal fluctuation pattern was more or less similar. Soil acarines were the most abundant fauna at the sampling sites while, collembolans were the second most numerically dominant group. Oribatids were more abundant at agricultural sites while, the mesostigmatids were higher in abundance at the brick field.

Keywords: soil microarthopods, acari, collembola, population abundance