Mesofaunal biodiversity and its importance in Thar desert.

TL;DRAbstract

Soil animals are considered as important contributors to soil fertility However, there is paucity of such information for harsh climatic conditions. Therefore, the below ground faunal density and frequency have been studied in relation to physicochemical properties of soil in Thar desert. The selected soil systems were Vigna radiata--Cuminum cyminum, grassland, flower garden and Zizyphus mauritiana. Acari and other soil arthropods exhibited seasonal variation in their populations. There were two population peaks, one in February/March and other in August/September. The highest population was in flower garden, whereas lowest was in Z. mauritiana field. It clearly indicates that the soil fauna population develops in different degrees. The relative density showed that the acarines were more prevalent in comparison to other soil arthropods. The prostigmatids exhibited maximum relative density in comparison to cryptostigmatids and mesostigmatids in all fields. Pauropus showed higher relativ

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