Abstract
ABSTRACT The edaphic community comprises several organisms that perform ecological functions in the environment, such as litter fragmentation, nutrient cycling, and modifications of soil structure, in addition to acting as food chain regulators. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the composition of the edaphic fauna and the physical and chemical attributes of soil in different physiognomies of Cerrado in the Parque Estadual do Mirador (PEM). The study was carried out in two Cerrado formations (Sparse Cerrado and Typical Cerrado) in PEM, where 100 pitfall traps were installed. The edaphic organisms were screened and identified in terms of orders, suborders, subfamilies, families, abundance, richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou’s equitability. A total of 4,149 individuals were collected from two experimental plots. The plot in the Typical Cerrado showed greater taxonomic richness (25 groups) and greater Shannon diversity (H’ = 1.65), while the plot in Sparse Cerrado presented 19 edaphic groups and Shannon diversity equal to H’ = 1.51. The factorial exploration explained 84.43% of the original data from the Sparse Cerrado and 90.84% from the Typical Cerrado. It is concluded that the plot in the Typical Cerrado showed greater differences in terms of richness and abundance due to the more favorable conditions for soil fauna, such as a high content of organic material and greater vegetation cover.
Highlights
The Cerrado, with high biodiversity and a high degree of endemism, is the second-largest biome in Brazil, covering approximately 22% of the Brazilian territory (Oliveira & Marquis, 2002); only 2% of this biome is protected through parks and reserves
A total of 2,258 individuals were identified in the Sparse Cerrado and 1,891 individuals in the Typical Cerrado (Table 1)
The highest taxonomic richness was recorded for the Typical Cerrado (25 groups), followed by the Sparse Cerrado with 19 taxonomic groups
Summary
The Cerrado, with high biodiversity and a high degree of endemism, is the second-largest biome in Brazil, covering approximately 22% of the Brazilian territory (Oliveira & Marquis, 2002); only 2% of this biome is protected through parks and reserves In this context, in the State of Maranhão, the Parque Estadual do Mirador (PEM) comprises a Conservation Unit created in 1980 in the Cerrado domain. Edaphic organisms are important components of ecosystems, with respect to the modification of the physical and chemical attributes of soil (Martins et al, 2018; Silva et al, 2018). According to Moço et al (2010), the quality and quantity of organic matter in soil is a key factor in edaphic fauna distribution
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