Notes on Video-clips
====================

F_candida_2: Collembola (common name: springtails) are small ( 0.2 - 10 mm long) wingless insects that are the 2nd most abundant microarthropod group in soils.  The name springtail was given as the majority of species have a spring underneath their abdomen that allows them to jump.   Most species live for less than 1 year.  They feed on fungi and decomposing plant material.  They live in the soils of most ecosystems of the world, with population abundances are often in excess of 20 000 m-2.

Enchys_1:  Enchytraeids (common name: potworms) are related to Earthworms.  Enchytraeids are small (10-55 mm long) unpigmented worms.  Enchytraeids eat both mineral and organic material in the soil, including soil fungi and bacteria found in this material.  Enchytraeids can be found across a broad range of ecostsems, but their population densities vary according to the ecosystem type, for example they are far more abundant in acidic heathland soils compared to agricultural soils.

panagrellus_2: Nematodes (common name: roundworms) are microscopic in size (~ 1 mm long).  They are the most numerous multicellular organism to be found in the soil, with average densities of 5 - 10 million m-2.They live in water films between soil particles.  They feed on a wide range of foods, which include bacteria, fungi, plants, other nematodes etc.  They help with cycling of nutrients in the soil.  

Hypoaspis1: Acari (common name: mites) are related to Spiders. They are small (adults 0.1-30 mm long) arthropods, and are the most abundant microarthropods found in most soil types, with densities as high as 1 million m-2.   Acari feed on a range of food sources; plants, fungi, microorganisms, or as parasites or predators.   They help with the breakdown of organic material and cycling of nutrients in the soil.  

Refs:
Coleman, D.C., Crossley Jr., D.A. and Hendrix, P.F., (2004).  Fundamentals of Soil Ecology.  Elsevier Academic Press, Athens.
          Bardgett, R. (2005).  The Biology of Soil.  A community and ecosystem approach.  Oxford University Press Inc., New York.  

Credit text:
Video clips taken by Paul Chamberlain, Used by permission of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology