The Overlooked Decomposers: Effects of Composting Materials and Duration on the Mesofauna Mediating Humification

Felix Matheri (), Nehemiah Ongeso, David Bautze, Steven Runo, Maina Mwangi, AnneKelly Kambura, Edward Karanja, Chrysantus Tanga and Milka Kiboi
Additional contact information
Felix Matheri: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Nehemiah Ongeso: Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
David Bautze: Department of International Cooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, Postfach 219, 5070 Frick, Switzerland
Steven Runo: Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University (KU), Nairobi P.O. Box 43844-00100, Kenya
Maina Mwangi: Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Kenyatta University (KU), Nairobi P.O. Box 43844-00100, Kenya
AnneKelly Kambura: Department of Agricultural Sciences, Taita Taveta University (TTU), Voi P.O. Box 635-80300, Kenya
Edward Karanja: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Chrysantus Tanga: International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), Nairobi P.O. Box 30772-00100, Kenya
Milka Kiboi: Department of International Cooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, Postfach 219, 5070 Frick, Switzerland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-13

Abstract: Compost fauna act by releasing various enzymes that break down organic matter into a stable, agriculturally useful products. Mesofauna are the least studied compared to micro- and macrofauna, with the existing studies relying on classical methods such as morphological identification, essentially leaving out cryptic taxa. We sought to evaluate the ecological response of the mesofauna community to different composting materials and durations. Total mesofauna community 18S rRNA was purified in triplicate from lantana-based, tithonia-based, grass-based, and mixed (lantana + tithonia + grass)-based compost heaps after 21, 42, 63, and 84 days of composting and sequenced using the Illumina Miseq platform. Before performing statistical data analysis, we used the Divisive Amplicon Denoising Algorithm version 2 workflow for bioinformatic analyses. The composting duration, but not the composting materials, significantly influenced the total population and composition of the mesofauna communities. The composting materials and duration significantly affected the dispersion and uniqueness of the compost mesofauna communities. Canonical correspondence analysis of the compost’s physical–chemical and biological states showed a significant influence of the materials on the mesofauna community colonization capacity. The mesofauna communities had a significant response to the composting duration. This, therefore, presents them as valuable tools for understanding the temporal evolution of compost.

Keywords: sub-Saharan Africa; cattle manure; metagenomics; ecology; fauna; ecosystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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