Collembola’s role in regulating mass fluxes in soil and the effects of contrasting life histories

Summary

The study determined metabolic rates and elemental pools for two Collembola species with contrasting life histories. The fittest of the two species, P. minuta, excreted the equivalent of 10–12% of the elemental body content per day, and P. armata 7–10%. Most elements are lost to excretion (CO2 and N-waste). These figures in combination with stoichiometry and life histories indicate that the cost of P. minuta’s better fitness is a requirement for a higher quality diet than P. armata. The data produced in this study can be used to estimate the collembolan contribution to C and N fluxes in the soil.