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Nematode biomass changes along an elevational gradient are trophic group dependent but independent of body size
Large and higher-trophic level organisms typically show stronger responses to environmental changes compared to small and lower-trophic organisms.
However, it is unclear if this sensitivity extends to nematodes. We conducted sampling across altitudinal transects to study how environmental differences shape nematode body size distribution. Our findings indicate that changes in nematode biomass along an elevational gradient depend on trophic groups but not on body size. Under drought conditions, soil nematodes across all transects exhibited a shift toward smaller sizes. These results suggest that ambient conditions can reduce soil nematode body size, independent of the natural ecosystem.