Non-Peer ReviewedThe soil microfauna regulate nutrient cycling through predation on soil microorganisms but also through
comminution of organic residues in soils. The feeding activity of the soil microfauna has a large impact
on nutrient cycling and soil function, but is rarely considered because it is difficult to assess. The Baitlamina
test was proposed as a practical mean to assess microfauna feeding activity. The test consists of
vertically inserting 16-hole-bearing plastic sticks stuffed with a plant material preparation into the soil.
We tested if the plant material used to prepare the bait would be differentially utilized by microfaunal
population present under different plant species or mixtures of plants. We evaluated the Bait-lamina test
in a 5-year old field experiment with five levels of plant communities (monocultures of Russian wild
rye, switchgrass, green needlegrass, or western wheatgrass, and a grass mixture) distributed in four
complete blocks, using six levels of bait flavour (Russian wild rye, switchgrass, green needlegrass,
western wheatgrass, alfalfa, and wheat bran). Bait-lamina strips were equally spaced at five locations
between plant rows. We found that the bait flavour had no significant (P = 0.22) effect on feeding,
although the concentration of crude protein in the plant material used in the baits varied (P = 0.006)
from 2.9% in switchgrass to 5.9% in Russian wild rye. We found low feeding activity in our field plots
over the period of the test ( 13 June to 17 August 2005), with only 2.7% of the lamina (hole stuffing)
showing signs of feeding. The data nevertheless revealed that microfauna feeding was more important
close to the soil surface (0.5 mm deep), and in Russian wild rye plot mid-rows as compared to green
needlegrass or switchgrass plots. Closer to plant rows, however, differences were not significant. We
conclude that bait prepared with any plant material used in this study can be used to compare microfauna
feeding in different plant stands. We recommend the use of a large number of replicated strips in
agricultural field experiments where the microfauna may be scarce
