Enzymatic Activity of Caatinga Biome With and Without Anthropic Action1

Abstract

The Caatinga is an exclusively Brazilian biome that has been under high anthropogenic action, which directly interferes in the quality of its soil. In order to evaluate and monitor the quality of the soil, chemical and biological indicators are used, with the determination of the enzymatic activity gaining prominence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the enzymatic activity of soils of the Caatinga biome in preserved and anthropized areas belonging to the Catimbau National Park, located in Pernambuco, Brazil, during the two periods of the year (rainy and dry), for three consecutive years, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Enzymatic activities of β-glucosidase, urease, arylsulfatase, and acid and alkaline phosphatase in the soil were evaluated. Anthropic action caused reduction in the enzymatic activities of β-glucosidase, arylsulfatase and urease. Regarding the periods of the year, the dry one showed smaller values of enzymatic activity of β-glucosidase, arylsulfatase and urease. Among the evaluation years, when correlating accumulated precipitation and enzymatic activity, the highest correlations were observed in the preserved area in both periods of the year. The fragility of Caatinga soils under anthropic action was observed in both periods of the year, over time. The increasing anthropization of areas of the Catimbau National Park has a direct effect on soil quality, affects its ecological balance, causing degradation and reduction of its quality. Appropriate enforcement measures are urgently needed to ensure their environmental preservation.

Ciências agrárias: a multidisciplinaridade dos recursos naturais

“…Segundo Mendes et al, (2015), os bioindicadores juntamente com os parametros químicos e fisicos são aptos para constituirem um conjunto de parâmetros que descrevam a qualidade dos solos. Um estudo realizado no bioma Caatinga mostrou que a atividade enzimática de solos com ação antrópica era menor que nas áreas sem ação antrópica (CAVALCANTE et al, 2020). Vários autores relatam maiores atividades enzimáticas em sistemas conservacionistas frente a cultivos convencionais: Segundo Peixoto et al, (2010), o alto nível de β-glicosidase em áreas de plantio direto em comparação com áreas de plantio convencional pode ser explicado pela alta concentração de resíduos vegetais na superfície do solo.…”

Indicadores de Qualidade do Solo em Sistemas Agroecológicos no Cerrado Mineiro

“…O conceito de qualidade do solo foi desenvolvido para poder avaliar a condição de um solo sob um manejo específico (SARMIENTO;et al 2018). A relevância da utilização de indicadores está ligada à expressão da funcionalidade do solo, o que evidencia as deficiências das áreas avaliadas e orienta para a recuperação do solo (CAVALCANTE et al, 2020).…”

Monitoring of biome degradation in the northeastern semi-arid region, Brazil

“…Caatinga biome is exclusively found in Brazil, located mainly in the Northeastern region, with a small stand in the Southeastern region (north of Minas Gerais) (Silva et al, 2004;Cavalcante et al, 2020), comprising near 10% of the country's territory. The Caatinga, because it is anonly and exclusive Brazilian biome, needs to be conserved, considering a large amount of endemic plant and animal species.…”