Land Use Intensification Effects in Soil Arthropod Community of an Entisol in Pernambuco State, Brazil

Abstract

The interactions between soil invertebrates and land use and management are fundamental for soil quality assessment but remain largely unaddressed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in soil arthropod community of an entisol brought about by different land use systems under semiarid climate in Pernambuco State, Brazil. The soil invertebrate community was sampled using pitfall traps from areas with eight vegetation types by the end of the austral winter. The land uses studied were native thorn forest plus seven agricultural fields planted with elephant grass, apple guava, passion fruit, carrot, maize, tomato, and green pepper. Native vegetation was considered as a reference, whereas the agricultural fields showed a range of soil use intensities. The abundance of organisms, the total and average richness, Shannon's diversity index, and the Pielou uniformity index were determined, and all of these were affected by several crop and soil management practices such as residue cover, weed control, and pesticide application. Our study found differences in community assemblages and composition under different land use systems, but no single taxa could be used as indicator of soil use intensity.

Associations Between Different Soil Management Practices, Soil Fauna and Maize Yield

“…This finding corroborates those of Siqueira et al (2014), who affirmed that differences in these invertebrate communities can be influenced by how land is used, even at the taxa level. According to Sileshi and Mafongoya (2006a), when the abundance of functional groups such as soil engineers increases, some soil ecosystem functions will be enhanced.…”

“…10, No. 9; transporting materials for the formation of nests (Paul et al, 2015;Segat et al, 2017;Siqueira et al, 2014;Wolters, 2000). This may explain the coexistence of a high number of Formicidae with other taxa.…”

“…Birkhofer et al (2011) affirmed that it is important to better understand how the abiotic and biotic drivers of soil fauna activity interact at spatial and temporal scales to possibly counteract negative consequences of ecosystem functioning. According to Siqueira et al (2014), there is not enough knowledge about how arthropods, for example, are affected by extensive and/or intensive agricultural systems. According to Ying-Hua et al (2013), there are few studies on the effect of different fertilizers on soil fertility and soil fauna.…”

Arthropod bioindicators of environmental quality

“…These parameters can be analyzed using edaphic entomofauna, which can help in the monitoring and ecological management of the biodiversity of the soil ecosystems. This is due to the fauna being sensitive to environmental changes and responding quickly to changes in the different production systems (SILVA et al, 2013;BARRETA et al, 2014;SIQUEIRA et al, 2014;POMPEO et al, 2016a).…”

“…Tais parâmetros analisados por meio da entomofauna edáfica podem auxiliar no monitoramento e na gestão ecológica da biodiversidade dos ecossistemas edáficos ao se apresentarem sensíveis às mudanças ambientais e responderem de forma rápida às alterações nos diferentes sistemas de produção (SILVA et al, 2013;BARRETA et al, 2014;SIQUEIRA et al, 2014;POMPEO et al, 2016a).…”