Basic HTML Version
Molecular Soil Biology (online), 2013, Vol. 4 No.2, 7-15
ISSN 1925-2005
http://msb.sophiapublisher.com
11
Table 1 Mean of soil characters in pit and mound microsites and soil depths
Variables / characters
Water content
(%)
pH
Organic
Matter (%)
Organic
carbon (%)
Total
Nitrogen (%)
C/N ratio
Mound top
11.86 (0.12)e
6.91 (0.05)a
3.47 (0.01)d
2.00 (0.00)d
0.11 (0.00)d
17.55 (0.09)b
Mound wall
12.92 (0.16)d
6.96 (0.04)a
3.38 (0.01)e
1.96 (0.00)e
0.10 (0.00)e
18.39 (0.12)a
Pit wall
51.95 (0.13)b
6.51 (0.04)bc
3.96 (0.03)b
2.35 (0.01)b
0.15 (0.00)b
15.54 (0.05)d
Pit bottom
58.52 (0.21)a
6.38 (0.04)c
5.51 (0.01)a
3.20 (0.00)a
0.20 (0.00)a
15.41 (0.06)d
Closed canopy
40.69 (0.18)c
6.62 (0.04)b
3.68 (0.02)c
2.14 (0.01)c
0.13 (0.00)c
16.38 (0.10)c
Microsites
F-value
23064.18
**
26.74
**
5139.57
**
8255.46
**
3025.96
**
255.06
**
0-15
34.73 (1.50)b
6.66 (0.04)
4.11 (0.06)
2.39 (0.04)a
0.15 (0.00)a
16.36 (0.11)c
15-30
35.30 (1.50)
6.70 (0.04)
3.94 (0.05)
2.31 (0.03)b
0.14 (0.00)b
16.56 (0.11)b
30-45
35.53 (1.49)a
6.68 (0.03)
3.94 (0.05)
2.29 (0.03)c
0.13 (0.00)c
17.04 (0.11)a
F-value
13.64
**
0.27
ns
105.70
**
150.01
**
133.94
**
31.76
**
Soil depths (cm)
Interaction
22.85
**
0.25
ns
131.54
**
198.89
**
59.71
**
11.14
**
Note: ** Different is significant at the 0.01 level. (ns): Non significant differences (P > 0.05); Values are the
means ±St. error of the mean; Within the same column the means followed by different letters are statistically
different (P < 0.05)
Table 2 Kruskal-Wallis analysis for earthworm's density and biomass
Epigeic
Anecic
Endogeic
Earthworm groups / variables
Density
(n/m
2
)
Biomass
(mg/m
2
)
Density
(n/m
2
)
Biomass
(mg/m
2
)
Density
(n/m
2
)
Biomass
(mg/m
2
)
Mound top
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Mound wall
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Pit wall
0.00
0.00
0.26
2.49
0.66
6.86
Pit bottom
1.11
11.30
0.92
10.04
1.79
20.55
Microsites
Closed canopy
0.33
3.21
0.66
4.88
0.92
8.13
Chi square
128.08
127.86
207.13
206.43
388.13
406.02
DF
4
4
4
4
4
4
Statistical
characters
Sig.
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0-15
0.78
7.76
0.45
4.23
0.35
3.61
15-30
0.08
0.94
0.65
6.22
0.63
6.70
Soil depths
(cm)
30-45
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.04
10.99
Chi square
132.14
130.42
124.54
118.90
37.33
25.91
DF
2
2
2
2
2
2
Statistical
characters
Sig.
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
0.00
**
earthworms were found in mound microsite of current
research. The distribution of the earthworm population
was dynamic, but overall distribution was closely
linked to temperature and moisture with dramatic
reductions of earthworm numbers associated with very
dry conditions. Suthar (2011) pointed that soil
moisture shortage and extreme temperature variability
are the most important of the major limiting factors
for earthworm dispersal. High temperature is often
associated with soil moisture shortage and therefore
earthworm mortality in hyrcanian forests soils of Iran
has been attributed to soil moisture shortage rather