Form and function: Metabolic footprints of nematodes in the soil food web

Metabolic footprints provide metrics for the magnitudes of ecosystem functions and services provided by component organisms of the soil food web. Nematodes occupy various trophic roles and perform important functions within the web. They are convenient indicators of similar functions performed by other organisms in the web and are well-documented indicators of ecosystem condition. The generally vermiform shapes of nematodes, and the standardized morphometric characteristics used in their description, facilitate assessment of body volume and weight. Prescribed coefficients allow calculation of their carbon metabolism. Their production of body structure and eggs can be standardized for life course duration. Consequently, standardized metabolic activity levels, attributable to the abundance of nematodes performing various functional roles, can be calculated from existing and accessible morphometric data. Metabolic footprints of nematode assemblages provide measures of ecosystem services performed by each functional guild. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.