What do soil fleas feed on? - briefly
Soil fleas mainly ingest fungal hyphae, spores, and decaying organic matter, with bacteria and microscopic algae as supplemental food sources. Their diet shifts according to moisture levels and the composition of the surrounding substrate.
What do soil fleas feed on? - in detail
Soil fleas, members of the order Collembola, obtain nutrients from a diverse array of organic and microbial sources. Their feeding apparatus, a ventral tube (collophore) and a gnathal complex, allows ingestion of particles ranging from microscopic fungi to decaying plant fragments.
Primary components of their diet include:
- Fungal hyphae and spores, especially saprophytic species that colonize leaf litter and humus.
- Bacterial colonies inhabiting moist soil micro‑habitats.
- Decaying plant material such as leaf fragments, root exudates, and lignocellulosic residues.
- Algal cells and cyanobacterial filaments that develop on soil surfaces and within the litter layer.
- Pollen grains and fungal fruiting bodies that fall onto the soil surface.
Secondary food items may consist of:
- Protozoa and nematode eggs encountered in the micro‑environment.
- Detrital organic matter enriched with mineral nutrients.
Feeding behavior varies among species. Some are selective mycophages, preferring live fungal hyphae, while others act as opportunistic detritivores, ingesting any available organic particles. Moisture levels strongly influence intake; high humidity facilitates the diffusion of soluble nutrients and the activity of microbial prey. Seasonal changes affect resource availability, prompting shifts from fungal dominance in cooler, damp periods to increased plant detritus consumption during warmer, drier intervals.
Through continuous processing of these resources, soil fleas contribute to the decomposition of organic matter, the redistribution of nutrients, and the regulation of microbial populations within the soil ecosystem.