Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T00:33:37.405Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Occurrence of entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) in British soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

W. M. Homininck  and
B. R. Briscoe
W. M. Homininck
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY
B. R. Briscoe
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berks SL5 7PY
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Soil from 403 hedgerow, roadside verge, woodland, heathland or field sites was assessed for presence of entomopathogenic rhabditid nematodes with aGalleria larva baiting technique. Steinernematids were recovered from 48 % of the sites but only one site yielded Heterorhabditis sp. The species recovered most frequently was Steinernema bibionis (Bovien). Another unidentified Steinernema sp. was also isolated. Prevalence of steinernematids in the different types of habitat formed continuum so that roadside verges harboured them most often while heathland sites yielded them least often. Mean soil temperatures at 5 cm were about 15 °C in fields and verges, 13 °C in hedgerows and heathland and 12 °C in woodland. Prevalence of the nematodes varied in different parts of Britain and was influenced by soil type. They were associated with calcareous soils, especially those with a calcareous subsoil horizon. Soils which are periodically or seasonally water-logged were suitable. Soils enriched by humus and hence high in organic matter frequently harboured the nematodes and some suitable soils had significant clay contents or subsoils high in clay. It appears that the two steinernematids are relatively unspecialized species, occurring in diverse habitats and soil types and are adapted to cooler temperatures.

Keywords

Steinernema bibionis (Bovien)SteinernematidaeHeterirhabditidaesoil surveyentomopathogenic nematodessoil typehabitat
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 100 , Issue 2 , April 1990 , pp. 295 - 302
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akhurst, R. J. (1983). Neoaplectana species: specificity of association with bacteria of the genus Xenorhabdus. Experimental Parasitology 55, 258–63.Google Scholar
Akhurst, R. J. (1986). Controlling insects in soil with entomopathogenic nematodes. In Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Invertebrate Pathology (ed.Samson, R.A., Vlak, J. M. & Peters, D.), pp. 265–7. Foundation of the 4th International Colloquium of Invertebrate Pathology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Akhurst, R. J. & Bedding, R. A. (1978). A simple crossbreeding technique to facilitate species determination in the genus Neoaplectana. Nematologica 24, 328–30.Google Scholar
Akhurst, R. J. & Bedding, R. A. (1986). Natural occurrence of insect pathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) in soil in Australia. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 25, 241–4.Google Scholar
Akhurst, R. J. & Brooks, W. M. (1984). The distribution of entomophilic nematodes (Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae) in North Carolina. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 44, 140–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedding, R. A. & Akhurst, R. J. (1975). A simple technique for the detection of insect parasitic rhabditid nematodes in soil. Nematologica 21, 109–10.Google Scholar
Blackshaw, R. P. (1988). A survey of insect parasitic nematodes in Northern Ireland. Annals of Applied Biology 113, 561–5.Google Scholar
Burman, M., Abrahamsson, K., Ascard, J., Sjoberg, A. & Eriksson, B. (1986). Distribution of insect parasitic nematodes in Sweden. In Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Invertebrate Pathology (ed. Samson, R. A., Vlak, J. M. & Peters, D.), p. 312. Foundation of the 4th International Colloquium of Invertebrate Pathology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Curran, J. & Webster, J. M. (1989). Genotypic analysis of Heterorhabditis isolates from North Carolina. Journal of Nematology 21, 140–5.Google ScholarPubMed
Dowdswell, W. H. (1987). Hedgerows and Verges. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Georgis, R. & Hague, N. G. M. (1988). Field evaluation of Steinernema feltiae against the web-spinning larch sawfly Cephalcia lariciphila. Journal of Nematology 20, 317–20.Google ScholarPubMed
Griffin, C. T., Simons, W. R. & Smits, P. H. (1989). Activity and infectivity of four isolates of Heterorhabditis spp. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 53, 107–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hominick, W. M. & Briscoe, B. R. (1990). Survey of 15 sites over 28 months for entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae). Parasitology 100, 289–94.Google Scholar
Molyneux, A. S. (1986). Heterorhabditis spp. and Steinernema (= Neoaplectana) spp.: temperature and aspects of behaviour and infectivity. Experimental Parasitology 62, 169–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molyneux, A. S. & Bedding, R. A. (1984). Influence of soil texture and moisture on the infectivity of Heterorhabditis sp. D1 and Steinernema glaseri for larvae of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Nematologica 30, 358–65.Google Scholar
Mracek, Z. (1980). The use of ‘Galleria traps’ for obtaining nematode parasites of insects in Czechoslovakia (Lepidoptera: Nematoda, Steinernematidae). Acta entomologica bohemoslovaca 77, 378–82.Google Scholar
Poinar, G. O. (1979). Nematodes for Biological Control of Insects. Boca Raton, Florida: C.R.C. Press.Google Scholar
Poinar, G. O. (1986). A synopsis of the genus Neoaplectana. In Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Invertebrate Pathology (ed. Samson, R. A., Vlak, J. M. & Peters, D.), pp. 290–1. Foundation of the 4th International Colloquium of Invertebrate Pathology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Simons, W. R. & Van Der Schaaf, D. A. (1986). Infectivity of three Heterorhabditis isolates for Otiorhynchus sulcatus at different temperatures. In Fundamental and Applied Aspects of Invertebrate Pathology (ed. Samson, R. A., Vlak, J. M. & Peters, D.), pp. 285–9. Foundation of the 4th International Colloquium of Invertebrate Pathology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar