Nematode as a soil biodiversity indicator

Nematodes are one of the most abundant animals on earth. Their food specificity, the high number of species and high abundance in every habitat where decomposition takes place indicates that the structure of the nematode community has high information content. Since nematodes respond rapidly to new resources, and the nematode fauna can be efficiently analyzed, the structure of the nematode community offers an instrument to assess (changes in) the conditions of soils. Therefore, indicators based on nematode community composition are among the best developed metrics of soil health.