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Tullgren funnel -an efficient

device for extracting soil
microarthropods
ARTICLE JANUARY 2014

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Punjab Agricultural University
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Tullgren funnel -an efficient device for extracting soil

microarthropods
Authors: Romila Akoijama, Badal Bhattacharyya b and
Lunglu Marangmeic
a

Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural

University, Ludhiana-141004,

Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural

University, Jorhat-785013, Assam,

Department of Entomology, Central Agricultural

University, Imphal-795004,

Corresponding E-mail address: romi.ak9@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
1

The soil micro-arthropods play vital ecological

functions in the environment. Surveillance of the presence
or absence of soil micro-arthropod species can be a
valuable means for understanding an ecosystem as a whole.
Soil micro-arthropods are thought to be involved in
processing organic matter and augmenting processes
involved in soil structure. The most numerous microarthropods are collembolans and free-living soil mites.
Tullgren funnel is an efficient device for extracting soil
micro-arthropods from soil samples, leaf litter, etc. By
extracting such organisms, their taxonomic identification,
biology and behaviour, seasonal and relative abundance in
relation to the abiotic and biotic factors of the environment
can be investigated.

Keywords:

Tullgren

funnel,

soil

efficiency, extraction, faunal survey

Introduction
2

micro-arthropods,

Soil micro-arthropods are also thought to be involved in

processing organic matter and augmenting processes
involved in soil structure (1). Monitoring of the presence or
absence of soil micro-arthropod species can be a
constructive means for understanding an ecosystem as a
whole (2). The most numerous micro-arthropods are
collembolans and free-living soil mites (3). One of the
major problems in the study of soil invertebrate population
is the extraction, modification and evaluation of similar
methods of extraction. Even if there is no universally
accepted method that extracts all groups of animals from
soils, Berlese (4) first applied heat to animals in soil or
litter suspended in a tray over a funnel. Secondly, Tullgren
(5) first used an electric bulb suspended above the tray so
as to add the stimulus of light to that of heat and to heat the
material from above and thus drive the animals downwards
into the funnel. The performance of Tullgren funnel was
dependent upon the moisture content of the sample, the rate
3

at which the sample is heated and dried and the reactions

particularly to temperature and moisture of the many
different species in the sample (6).
Efficiency of Tullgren funnel
The two developments of Tullgren type
funnel for extraction of soil organisms were described by
Macfadyen (7). The first was a paraffin-burning model for
expedition conditions and the second was an electrically
operated type for laboratory use. The efficiency of these
devices was compared with that of other funnels, with a
flotation technique and with hand sorting and the treated
devices, were found to be 100 per cent efficient for the
extraction of oribatid mites. By setting up of physical
gradient in Tullgren funnel, adults mites from poultry litter
were extracted with 86-97 per cent efficiency, but some
larvae and nymphs showed much less efficiently (8).
Differences of efficiency in adults and immature of the
Oribatid mites were also noted (9). Therefore, the modified
4

Tullgren funnel was a good method for sampling and

studying the biology of a mite species, Tetranycopsis
horridus (10). When Tullgren funnel and soil section
method was compared for estimating oribatid population in
a black pine woodland soil. The Tullgren funnel method
was found to be superior for extracting particularly small
species while larger and wood-feeding species were more
accurately

estimated

by

the

section

method

(11).

Sakchoowong et al. (12) investigated the extraction

efficiency of Winkler and Tullgren extraction devices and
found out that Tullgren extraction was found to be more
effective than Winkler extraction both qualitatively and
quantitatively extracting from soil and litter. Likewise, the
efficiency of washing was compared with that of the
Tullgren method for extracting micro-arthropods from dead
leaves and branches in the canopy of Cryptomeria japonica
trees. The washing method was appropriate for collecting
oribatida and other micro-arthropods whereas the Tullgren
5

method was better for collecting Collembola from the

canopy litter of C. japonica trees (13).
Extraction of soil micro-arthropods
There are different techniques to extract soil microarthropods from various substrates. Murphy (14) described
the mechanical and dynamic method. In mechanical
method, soil fauna are physically separated from the soil
samples. Contrary, in dynamic method, samples are placed
in a funnel and expelling the micro-arthropods, using a heat
source as an incandescent light into a vial of water, glycerol
or alcohol. Under dynamic, there are two methods: (a) Dry
funnel technique and (b) Wet funnel technique (6). Albert
Tullgren (5) first developed a dry funnel technique known
as Tullgren funnel method with the use of an electric bulb
suspended above the tray to add the stimulus of light to that
of heat and to heat the materials from above and thus drive
the animals downwards into the funnel. Tullgren funnel is a
great tool for separating microscopic animals from the litter
6

and soil they inhabit (6). Tullgren funnel was widely used
for extraction of micro-arthropods in different studies. A
relatively simple and inexpensive arrangement of Tullgrentype funnels were used to extract small micro-arthropods
from agricultural soils in the cotton growing area (15). The
modified Tullgren funnel was again developed for
extraction of live insect larvae from samples of wheat flour
or meals. Eighty-five per cent recoveries of insects
including 26 per cent of the early instar larva of Tribolium,
Lasioderma serricorne, Togoderma granium and Ephestia
cautella have also been reported (16). A method for
extracting beetles from soft rotten wood by using Tullgren
funnel and observed that two hundred and thirty-six taxa
including 80 saproxylic species were recorded from 189
samples of dead wood collected in a variety of lowland
landscapes (17). First time different families of Diplura
were reported from different ecosystems of Uttar Pradesh
by using modified Tullgren funnels (18). Mites and
7

collembolans were extracted from litter to study the soil

biodiversity characterization and its function in soil
ecosystem (19).
Tullgren funnel can be used for faunal survey
The abundance and diversity of soil arthropods are
influenced by the availability of organic matter, substrate
quality, concentrations of macro and micro nutrients and
biodiversity of the habitat (20). The density of soil
microfauna between forest and cultivated areas was
investigated and revealed that the density of soil
microfauna in forests was higher than that of cultivated
areas (21-22). An ecological survey of Collembola in two
moss communities with different moisture conditions was
carried out by Ohyama and Shimada (23). Tullgren
apparatus was used for the extraction process and four
species of collembolans viz. Friesea grisea, Tullbergia
mixta,

Cryptopygus

antarcticus,

and

Parisotoma

octooculata were observed. A faunal survey was conducted

8

to determine the relationship between soil arthropod

community and floor litter at different successional stages
of tropical forests. Soil micro-arthropods were extracted by
Tullgren funnel method and observed that Acari and
Collembola were the dominant groups (>80%) and
concluded that the development and immunity structure of
soil arthropod was closely related to vegetation succession
process (24). A simple, cheap and non-destructive
technique of Tullgren funnel was also developed for
collecting micro-arthropods from sensitive caves like caves
(25).
Conclusion
Soil micro-arthropods play very important ecological
functions in the environment. Assessment of their
taxonomic diversity and species richness of the community,
especially of several dominant taxa, will provide a simple
signal of the ecological complexity of the environment.
Tullgren funnel provides a great work for the extraction of
9

soil micro-arthropods. Although much research is still

needed, the recognition of the importance of soil microarthropods has taken place and the direction of the
developments in protection of biodiversity and its
application in soil monitoring and in man-used ecological
services is promising.
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