Soil macrofauna in production systems under no tillage and grazing

Abstract

Soil key processes are mediated by soil inhabitant organisms. Particularly, soil macrofauna play a key role in the preservation of soil structure and fertility. Agricultural practices are major determinants of the structure of soil macrofauna communities. This study assessed the effect of different land uses on the richness and abundance of soil macrofauna. The intensity of land use was the key determinant of our results. The natural grassland control area showed a prevalence of herbivores, as well as the lowest richness and density of detritivores and predators. Besides, it was the land use with the highest values of richness and density of the families within Order Coleoptera. In the four land uses where plant canopy is totally replaced, the composition of soil communities differed from the control area and the proportion of functional groups was affected. In the least intense uses of land, detritivores species prevailed. Predators were the least abundant functional group in all land uses, although a relative increase in richness and density was associated with land use intensity. We concluded that the evaluation of soil macrofauna can be used as indicator of sustainability for the proposed soil and crop management technologies.