Earthworm species in various land use systems in the Campos Gerais region of Lapa, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

The Campos Gerais region of Paraná are on an ancient plateau of sandstone origin and are covered with a diverse vegetation including mainly grasslands and various types of Atlantic Forest (particularly Araucaria forest). The region represents an important natural capital for biodiversity conservation as well as for agricultural and forestry production. However, little is known of the species richness and diversity of soil macroinvertebrates in this region. In the present study we evaluated earthworm species occurrence and richness in five land use systems (LUS) in the southern part of the Campos Gerais in Lapa county. Earthworms were handsorted from up to 18 soil monoliths on five occasions over three years (Feb. 2014, Feb., Mar., Nov. 2015, Jul. 2016) in the following LUS: old native forest, native grassland, young regenerating forest and grass lawn in the Uru Reserve and annual crop fields (soybean) in neighboring private farms (not all systems were sampled on all occasions). Nine earthworm species belonging to four families and five genera were found, of which six were native and three exotic species (Dichogaster gracilis, Amynthas gracilis, A. corticis). Of the native species, Urobenus brasiliensis and Andiorrhinus duseni (a large bodied-worm) are already well known from S and SE Brazil, while the remaining four were new species that require further description (Fimoscolex n.sp.1 and n.sp.2, Glossoscolex n.sp.1 and n.sp.2). In general, more species were found in February (summer) than March and November. The cropping system (soybean) had the lowest abundance and species richness in relation to other sites, although in the young and old forests no earthworms were found on some sample dates. Given the several new species found in this small reserve, and the relatively few sites studied thus far in the Campos Gerais, further efforts are needed to adequately characterize the earthworm fauna of the region, from which many other species are expected.

Concurrent adoption of multiple less intensive practices is essential for effectively preserving earthworm diversity in agroecosystems: a global meta-analysis

“…The meta-analysis results underscore the signiĄcant inĆuence of land-use intensiĄcation on earthworm populations. Notably, in arable cropland, particularly rotations in annually cropped agricultural Ąelds, we observed substantially lower earthworm density, biomass, and species richness, in line with several primary studies conducted in different regions 26 .…”

“…These positive effects may be explained by the fact that in these climatic zones, the studies documented the effects of intensiĄcation as managed mixed grasslands [61][62][63] , and not to more intensive land use types. Species richness, a more sensitive parameter to intensiĄcation effects across different climatic zones and intensiĄcation treatments, shows that in regions with tropical rainforest climates and temperate climates with hot summers, intensiĄcation had detrimental effects on earthworm diversity 26,33,34,36,42,[63][64][65] . These areas might be hosts to distinctive diverse earthworm communities that are especially vulnerable to intensiĄcationrelated environmental changes 66 .…”

Acarofauna present in organic strawberry fields and associated weed species in southern Brazil

“…This work was conducted from August 2014 to February 2015 in the Lapa municipality (25° 46′ 11″ S, 49° 42′ 57″ W, elevation 908 m), Paraná, Brazil, in an area comprised within the Atlantic Forest Biome. This region is known as 'Campos Gerais' and is inserted into an ancient plateau of sandstone origin covered with a diverse vegetation, including grasslands and various types of Atlantic Forest, Araucaria forest in particular (Demetrio et al 2018). The region has relevance for biodiversity conservation as well as for agricultural and forestry production (Demetrio et al 2018).…”

“…This region is known as 'Campos Gerais' and is inserted into an ancient plateau of sandstone origin covered with a diverse vegetation, including grasslands and various types of Atlantic Forest, Araucaria forest in particular (Demetrio et al 2018). The region has relevance for biodiversity conservation as well as for agricultural and forestry production (Demetrio et al 2018). The highly diverse grassland is characterized by non-arboreal species, mainly Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Rubiaceae, and Fabaceae (Behling and Pillar 2007).…”