02084nas a2200205   4500008004100000020001400041245013300055210006900188260001200257300000900269490000700278520145900285100001401744700001501758700001601773700001701789700001401806700001301820856004501833       2013                        eng d  a1164-556300aNematode and microbial communities in a rapidly changing compost environment: How nematode assemblages reflect composting phases0 aNematode and microbial communities in a rapidly changing compost  cMay-Jun  a1-100 v563 aThe microbial community (fungi and bacteria) is the main decomposer of organic matter during composting. Its composition is sometimes used as a proxy to assess compost maturity. Although nematodes are probably its most important grazers, only one previous study has highlighted clear shifts in nematode species composition during composting, and the assumption that nematodes reflect changes in the microbial community in compost has not yet been formally tested. Here, the microbial and nematode communities of a single composting process are analyzed together for the first time. Although both displayed broadly similar patterns, the abundance of fungal-feeding nematodes showed a distinct delay as compared to the increase in fungal PLFA. We argue that the nematode community may be a more promising tool to use in assessing compost maturity because it allows to discriminate between the three composting phases. First, during the thermophilic phase, bacterial-feeding nematodes dominate; during cooling, the bacterial-feeding/predators bloom; and during maturation, the abundance of fungal-feeding nematodes increases. Based solely on the microbial community, it was only possible to discriminate between the thermophilic phase and the rest of the process. Bacteria dominated during the thermophilic phase, while bacterial and fungal PLEA had more-or-less equal shares during cooling and maturation. (c) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.1 aSteel, H.1 aBuchan, D.1 aDe Neve, S.1 aCouvreur, M.1 aMoens, T.1 aBert, W.  uhttps://nematodes.myspecies.info/node/44