Abstract
ABSTRACT This work had the objective to evaluate the activity and microbial biomass of the soil as an indicator of edge effect in Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest fragments. Three fragments of different sizes (small, medium and large) located in the Southwest region of Bahia state were evaluated, in which three sampling ranges were defined in each, and soil samples were collected. The carbon and nitrogen contents of the microbial biomass were determined by the fumigation-extraction method and soil respiration. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC), metabolic carbon quotient (qCO2) and the microbial C:N and MBC:C ratios were discriminating indicators of the edge effect on the soil quality of the studied forest fragments. The integrated analysis of soil microbiological attributes is adequate to evaluate the edge effect in forest fragments. The size of the fragments and their isolation influence the MBC contents, showing greater vulnerability of the smaller fragments in relation to the actions of the external environment.
Highlights
AND OBJECTIVESHumankind has used forest resources for their development since the earliest times, which over the years has caused the original forest cover to change
Within the Atlantic Forest biome, one of the phytophysiognomies most affected by the fragmentation process is the Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest, which occurs in the transition zone with the Caatinga biome (Bahia state and Northeast of Minas Gerais) and in the South of the country (Iesb, 2007)
The total N contents were quite close between the fragments, while the mean organic C contents ranged from 21.2 g kg-1 in fragment 2, to 47.3 g kg-1 in fragment 3 (Table 3)
Summary
AND OBJECTIVESHumankind has used forest resources for their development since the earliest times, which over the years has caused the original forest cover to change. As a consequence of this process, there is a reduction in native vegetation areas and the formation of forest fragments. In Brazil, the Atlantic Forest is the biome most affected by fragmentation. Its remnants have been reduced to about 13% of its original area and are mostly divided into fragments with an area of less than 100 hectares (Silva et al, 2016). Within the Atlantic Forest biome, one of the phytophysiognomies most affected by the fragmentation process is the Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest, which occurs in the transition zone with the Caatinga biome (Bahia state and Northeast of Minas Gerais) and in the South of the country (Iesb, 2007). Even though its territory has been reduced, this formation is still little studied
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