Does fertilization with dehydrated sewage sludge affect Terminalia argentea (Combretaceae) and associated arthropods community in a degraded area?

Authors: CARVALHO, JO CASSIO - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; SILVA, FARLEY - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; LEITO, GERMANOLEAO - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; AZEVEDO, ALCINEI - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; TEIXEIRA, GUSTAVO - Universidade Federal De Minas Gerais; SOARES, MARCUS - Universidade Federal Dos Vales Do Jequitinhonha E Mucuri; ZANUNCIO, JOSE - Universidade Federal De Viçosa; Legaspi, Jesusa

Submitted to: Scientific Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2020
Publication Date: 7/16/2020
Citation: Carvalho, J.N., Silva, F.W., Leito, G.D., Azevedo, A.M., Teixeira, G.L., Soares, M.A., Zanuncio, J.C., Legaspi, J.C. 2020. Does fertilization with dehydrated sewage sludge affect Terminalia argentea (Combretaceae) and associated arthropods community in a degraded area? Scientific Reports. 10:11811. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68747-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68747-z

Interpretive Summary: The application of dehydrated sewage sludge (DSS) around newly planted Acacia trees is a possible treatment for enhanced recovery of soil nutrients in degraded areas in Brazil. With the application of DDS, there should be a concomitant increase in the plant and insect populations around the trees. Scientists at Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Universidade Federal do Acre, and Universidade Federal de Viçosa, in collaboration with scientists at the USDA-ARS, Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology, Tallahassee, Florida, conducted a two year study to assess the growth of the plant and insect populations as soil bioindicators within the immediate vicinity of DDS treated and non-treated trees. The plants around the DSS treated trees showed an increased population and growth along with more abundant insect populations as compared with those trees without DSS. These results indicate that the use of DSS is an important treatment that can increase the recovery of degraded soil areas as reflected by an increase in bioindicators such as soil litter and insect populations.

Technical Abstract: Nutrients from dehydrated sewage sludge play an essential role in the development of many plants such as Terminalia argentea, in the recovery of degraded areas.. The aims were to assess the abundance, diversity and species richness of phytophagous, pollinators and predators arthropods, as well as the percentage of defoliation of T. argentea trees, fertilized (or not) with dehydrated sewage sludge in a degraded area. The abundance, diversity and species richness of phytophagous Coleoptera and total predators (predator insects + protocooperating ants + spiders); abundance and species richness of Diptera, pollinator insects, spiders, and predators (predator insects + spiders) were higher on trees fertilized with dehydrated sewage sludge. The abundance of phytophagous Coleoptera declined with the presence of phytophagous Hemiptera and protocooperating ants; population of phytophagous Orthoptera declined in response to phytophagous Coleoptera and total predators; the numbers of the leafminer Lyriomyza sp. directly increased with the numbers of spiders. The ecological indices of phytophagous, pollinators, and predator arthopods increased on Terminalia argentea trees fertilized with dehydrated sewage sludge; such a better ecological indices in fertilized than in unfertilized trees, show it more suitable for the recovery of degraded areas. We discuss the competition between phytophagous insect groups as well as herbivory reduction by predators.