@article{fdi:010096982,
  title = {{L}ocation in soil pores as determinant of resource accessibility for microarthropods},
  author = {{L}u, {J}. {Z}. and {Z}arebanadkouki, {M}. and {S}chlüter, {S}. and {P}ollierer, {M}. {M}. and {S}cheu, {S}. and {N}unan, {N}. and {E}rktan, {A}mandine},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}rophic interactions among soil-living organisms occur predominantly within the soil pore network and are essential for soil functioning. {T}he access of animal consumers to microorganisms is likely determined by the dimension of soil pores in which microorganisms are located and the body size of consumers. {H}owever, experimental evidence for size segregation is lacking for many soil organisms, notably microarthropods, which are key players in the soil food web. {H}ere, we tested how the location of microorganisms in pores with different neck diameters influences their accessibility to microarthropods, and whether this accessibility varies with the consumer's body size. {B}y adding 13{C} sodium pyruvate solution to intact soil cores at different matric potential, we labelled microbial communities in different pore size classes and traced their consumption by three species of {C}ollembola ({H}exapoda), which was done by measuring the 13{C} incorporation into animal tissue after four-weeks of incubation. {C}ollembola incorporated labelled {C} from each of the pore size treatments (4-13, 13-41 and 41-931 & micro;m), indicating that microorganisms are not fully physically protected from consumption by microarthropods, even in pores that are smaller than their body width. {H}owever, the incorporation of 13{C} into {C}ollembola tissue increased with pore neck diameter, suggesting that the physical environment limited the access of {C}ollembola to resources. {O}verall, our findings suggest that resource accessibility is constrained by the body size of consumers, potentially shaping the trophic niches of microarthropods and influencing soil element dynamics at the pore scale.},
  keywords = {{S}oil physical structure ; {M}icro-scale feeding ; {PLFA} ; {S}pringtail ; {C}ollembola ; 13 {C} label},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{G}eoderma},
  volume = {469},
  numero = {},
  pages = {117810 [9 p.]},
  ISSN = {0016-7061},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117810},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096982},
}