Composition of the soil fauna community and leaf litter stock in agro-forestry systems and secondary forestry

Patrícia Dias Tavares,Cristiane Figueira Silva,Marcos Gervasio Pereira,Eliane Maria Ribeiro Da Silva

doi:10.14393/bj-v36n4a2020-42715

Abstract

Agro-Forestry Systems (AFS), in addition to being a means of providing income, can be considered an alternative way of helping conserve biodiversity, both above and below ground. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of tree leaf litter and its nutrient content as well as the composition of fauna in the soil-litter layer in two Agro-Forestry Systems (AFS-1 and AFS-2), using as reference an area of secondary Forest (SF), in the Quilombola do Campinho da Independência community, Paraty, in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil. The collection of accumulated leaf litter and soil-litter fauna was carried out from four sample points in each area and at two different seasons of the year, the rainy and the dry season. The leaf litter stock and its nutrient content (Ca, Mg, P, K and N) were measured. The extraction of fauna was carried out according to Tüllgren’s method, modifying the Berlese funnel. The stock of accumulated leaf litter differed between the two areas only in the rainy season; the amounts were smaller in AFS-2. In general, the Agro-Forestry Systems were very similar to the secondary forest in terms of levels and/or stock of nutrients in the majority of cases, at least in one of the seasons studied. The composition of the soil fauna groups in the Agro-Forestry System (AFS-1 and AFS-2) had a high degree of similarity to that found in the forest, and these systems mainly favour the populations of groups like Collembola and Formicidae.

Highlights

For a long time, agricultural development was linked to environmental degradation (TSCHARNTKE et al, 2011) since, in order to carry out agricultural activities, it was necessary to remove vegetation from forested areas
One of the proposals put forward to minimize these conflicts is the use of agricultural practices, such as AgroForestry Systems (AFS), which integrate the use of arboreal and agricultural species and which contribute to reconciling conservation with food production (MULLER, 2015; DOLLINGER; JOSE, 2018).These systems help encourage sustainability, as they use practices which are oriented by the principles of the ecological processes present in areas of production and in the wider context, of which these areas are a part (GLIESSMAN, 2001; SOUZA et al, 2012)
Forested areas may have denser and more varied vegetation than certain AFS (SANTOS et al, 2004), since they have several different strata and lianas, which could be reflected in the number of options for the production and depositing of leaf litter, either throughout the whole year, or at certain times of the year

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural development was linked to environmental degradation (TSCHARNTKE et al, 2011) since, in order to carry out agricultural activities, it was necessary to remove vegetation from forested areas. As a result of the reduction in nutrient cycles, this practice has led to soil exhaustion, simplification of the forest environments and new challenges for agricultural sustainability (TSCHARNTKE et al, 2011). In the Atlantic rainforest, a large part of the remaining vegetation is protected through the Units of Conservation (UC). The majority of these units are populated by traditional communities, and the agricultural and extractive activities of these communities are often carried out in conflict with the UC managers. One of the proposals put forward to minimize these conflicts is the use of agricultural practices, such as AgroForestry Systems (AFS), which integrate the use of arboreal and agricultural species and which contribute to reconciling conservation with food production (MULLER, 2015; DOLLINGER; JOSE, 2018).These systems help encourage sustainability, as they use practices which are oriented by the principles of the ecological processes present in areas of production and in the wider context, of which these areas are a part (GLIESSMAN, 2001; SOUZA et al, 2012)

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Conclusion