Title	Conference Proceedings
Publication Type	Conference Proceedings
Year of Publication	1980
Authors	Whitford WG, Santos PF
Editor	Dindal DL(ed.)
Conference Name	Soil Biology as Related to Land Use Practices
Series Title	Proceedings of the VII International Soil Zoology Colloquium of the International Society of Soil Science
Pagination	770-778
Date Published	July 29 - August
Publisher	Office of Pesticide and Toxic Substances, Environmental Protection Agency
Conference Location	Syracuse, New York
Call Number	00384
Keywords	abstract, abstracts, arthropod, decomposition, litter, conference, conference proceedings, conferences, decomposition, litter, microarthropods, decomposition, litter, nematodes, decomposition, litter, soil microflora, decomposition, litter, termites, detritus decomposition, SEE <LITTER>, microarthropod, decomposition, nematode,decomposition, pesticide, Chlordane, proceeding, proceedings, soil microflora,decomposition, termite, decomposition
Abstract	Studies of the soil fauna of the worlds' deserts are limited (Wallwork, 1970, 1972; Wood, 1971; Freckman, Mankau, and Ferris, 1975) and there have been no quantitative studies of the role of soil fauna in decomposition and nutrient release from plant litter. In 1977 we initiated a series of studies to examine the roles of various taxa of desert soil fauna in decomposition and in mineral release processes. In this paper we review selected portions of these studies in order to illustrate the relationships of termites, microarthropods, nematodes and soil microflora in litter decomposition in North American desert ecosystems.
Custom 1	Washington, D.C.