Influence of Different Provenances of Spondias Tuberosa on Soil Mesofauna in the Semi-arid Region of Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT The quantity and quality of plant residue deposited on the soil and the size of the canopy are conditioning factors for edaphic fauna, mainly due to changes in temperature, soil cover and the supply of food resources. Thus, according to their genetic characteristics, plant species can influence the abundance and diversity of soil invertebrates in different ways. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different provenances of Spondia tuberosa on the edaphic mesofauna community. The experimental area is located in the municipality of Contendas do Sincorá, Bahia, Brazil, and is composed of five different provenances of Spondias tuberosa. Mesofauna sampling was performed using the modified Berlese-Tullgren funnel method. The provenances did not influence the total density or richness of the mesofauna. However, it was possible to observe changes in the diversity indexes and in the relationship between mesofauna and dendrometric variables. The Lontra-Minas Gerais provenance (L) provided greater evenness between the mesofauna groups among the studied provenances. Together with América Dourada-Bahia (AD), this provenance favored the occurrence of detritivorous organisms, while Livramento de Brumado-Bahia (LB) and Macaúbas-Bahia (M) provide more conducive microhabitats to the occurrence of a greater number of the edaphic mesofauna groups. Thus, L and AD can optimize biological processes such as organic matter decomposition and nutrient mineralization, while L, LB and M can be more favorable to the overall biological health of the soil. These differences should be taken into account when choosing Spondias tuberosa provenances, since they can determine changes in biological processes and soil function, especially in semi-arid climate conditions.