Soil macrofauna, mesofauna and microfauna and their relationship with soil quality in agricultural areas in northern Colombia: ecological implications
Yiseth Chamorro-Martínez, Ana Carolina Torregroza-Espinosa, María Inés Moreno Pallares, Diana Pinto, Amaira Corrales Paternina, Ana Echeverría-González
Abstract
Soil fauna is an essential component of the soil ecosystem for maintaining nutrient cycling and biological soil fertility. This study assessed the soil biodiversity (macrofauna, mesofauna, and microfauna) to define strategies for the sustainable management of tropical agricultural soils. The study was carried out in 200 agricultural production units in the Department of Sucre, in northern Colombia. Physicochemical properties (organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and pH) were determined for each soil sample. The Berlesse-Tullgren method was used to determine the [...]
Topics & Concepts
MicrofaunaSoil mesofaunaSoil biodiversitySoil biologySoil fertilityEnvironmental scienceSoil qualitySoil organic matterSoil ecologyEcologyNutrient cycleAgroforestryBiodiversityAgronomyEcosystemSoil waterSoil scienceBiologyFaunaInvertebrate Taxonomy and EcologySoil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsComposting and Vermicomposting Techniques