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The local impact of macrofauna and land‐use intensity on soil nutrient concentration and exchangeability in lowland tropical Peru
Author(s) -
Dahlsjö Cecilia A. L.,
Stiblik Petr,
Jaklová Jana,
Zídek Matěj,
Wicman Huaycama Juan,
Lojka Bohdan,
Houška Jakub
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/btp.12676
Subject(s) - environmental science , biodiversity , land use , deforestation (computer science) , soil quality , microcosm , agroforestry , agriculture , land degradation , intensive farming , ecology , soil water , biology , soil science , computer science , programming language
Abstract Agricultural expansion is a major driver of deforestation which has negative consequences for biodiversity and habitat stability. While sustainable farming is known to be beneficial for biodiversity and crop resilience, little is known about the impact of macrofauna and land‐use intensity on soil quality. In this study, we examine the relative effects of (a) soil macrofauna and (b) land use (primary forest, agroforestry, and annual crop) on element depletion rates, concentration, and exchangeability in standardized soil. We used microcosms with two different mesh sizes, 0.25 mm and 5 mm, to exclude and include macrofauna, respectively. The microcosms were incubated for up to a year throughout which samples were collected without replacement. Macrofauna did not have a significant impact on any of the soil parameters which is likely to be due to the low diversity of termites in the sites. Land‐use intensity significantly affected cation depletion rates whose effects increased in order of primary forest