Estudo da Nematofauna no Bioma Mata Atlântica

Abstract

The Phylum Nematoda is extremely diverse and occurs in several ecosystems, thus occupying a key role in the soil trophic webs. The knowledge of nematode species and their patterns of distribution in soils habitats may contribute to our understanding of soil ecology and functioning. The aims of this work was to describe the nematofauna occurring in the Center of Research and Environmental Conservation - PRÓ-MATA-RS and classifies the nematodes according to their feeding habits thus provide additional information about the Pró Mata soil diversity. Identification was performed through light microscopy and following taxonomic keys evidencing the diagnostic characters of each group. In total, 1.500 nematodes were found into 200 cm³ of soil analyzed. The Chromadorea class was represented by 63% of the individuals, whereas the class Enoplea class by only 12%. Four orders, eight families and 13 genera were recovered. As for feeding trophic groups, were represented plant parasites by 35%, bacterial feeders by 30%, omnivores by 7% and predators by 5%. After extracting nematodes from soil, DNA extraction for amplification of the V4 and V9 regions of the 18S gene of ribosomal DNA was performed. The amplified product was sequenced, obtaining 281,400 sequences passed. Based on the DNA sequences, seven orders, 15 families, and 16 nematode genera were recovered.