Studies on the Food of Collembola in a Douglas Fir Plantation

SUMMARY An examination of the visible gut contents of Collembola showed that the larger species feed mainly on soil Fungi, whereas the smaller forms appear to feed directly on the humus. There seemed to be no consistent differences in the feeding habits of species of similar size but there was some evidence of seasonal variations in the arnount of Douglas fir litter consumed by Collembola. Experiments with Tomocerus longicornis indicated that viable soil Fungi pass through the collembolan gut; it is therefore probable that they play an important role in the dispersal of soil Fungi.