Soil arthropod diversity, richness and abundance in agricultural ecosystems

Soil arthropods play a crucial role in an ecosystem and act as predators, pollinators, parasitoids, herbivores and decomposers. Arthropods are used as biological indicators for agroecosytem integrity. In the present study a total of 1914 species was recorded. Class Arachnida, Insecta and Crustaceans were found. Class Entognatha and Chilopoda were the others recorded. Family Paronellidae from Entognatha, Scarabaeidae from Insecta and Lycosidae from Arachnida revealed highest number of individual species of 189, 114 and 132, respectively. In Chilopoda and Crustacea a total number of 63 and 138 species were recorded. Highest value of Shannon Weiner index 3.12 at familial species and 3.44 at species level and Simpson’s index of 20.03 and 25.71 at familial level and species level, respectively was recorded during November.