Estudo da fauna de invertebrados presente na serrapilheira do solo em uma floresta de terra firme

Abstract

The contribution of soil invertebrates in the decomposition process is mainly linked to the physical breakdown of plant tissues, of small dead animals and the supply of fecal material, making organic matter available. The present work aims to estimate the diversity, abundance and biomass of soil macrofauna, identifying and comparing the patterns of composition and abundance of macrofauna in the periods before and after the Esecaflor experiment, which simulates the effect of "el nino" in 1 ha of forest in the Caxiuanã forest. The study of variations in macrofauna composition, in a situation of water stress in the environment, can provide important elements for understanding the mechanisms involved in this process. The individuals are collected in pitfall traps, inside the Caxiuanã forest, from the control and experimental plots and kept in the laboratory in 70% alcohol. The number of individuals of Diptera was higher in the period of water exclusion, and thus it can be said that the increase in the number of individuals of this order coincided with periods of lower humidity. In the control plot, the greatest number of individuals of Diptera was observed in the months where the reduction of rainfall begins, June02 and May03, while in the experiment plot, the maximum number of individuals of the same order was observed in November02, which presents the lowest rainfall index within the study period. However, in August 2003, which also had low rainfall, both plots showed a reduction in the number of individuals. It was observed that humidity has a great influence on the abundance of this order.