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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #405516
Research Project: Sustaining Productivity and Ecosystem Services of Agricultural and Horticultural Systems in the Southeastern United States

Location: Soil Dynamics Research

Title: Fertilizer and lime impacts on edaphic mesofauna in a southern Brazil loblolly pine system

Author
item DE OLIVEIRA, ELMA - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item ERCOLE, TAMIRES - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item KOPKE, EMANUELE - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item ALBUQUERQUE, CARLA - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item CEZAR, RAUL - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item BARBOSA, JULIERME - Federal University Of Minas Gerais
item WINAGRASKI, ETIENNE - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item SAUTTER, KLAUS - Curitiba University
item Prior, Stephen - Steve
item MOTTA, ANTONIO - Universidade Federal Do Parana
item REISSMANN, CARLOS - Universidade Federal Do Parana

Submitted to: Scientia Agraria
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/3/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Fertilizer and lime use in Pine plantations could be required for environmental sustainability. However, little is known on how these inputs affect pine plantation mesofauna under subtropical climatic conditions. We evaluated the influence of fertilizer and lime use on mesofauna in a Pinus taeda system located in southern Brazil. These applications changed litter quality, which consequently shifted the edaphic mesofauna community in both litter and soil. Seasons influenced population response. Winter decreased populations, while fertilization did not affect mesofauna in this season. In summer, complete fertilization with lime favored omnivores organisms in litter like Oribatid mites, while Collemboa Arthropleona was impaired by fertilization and lime that limited the fungivory activity of Collembola. Although lime decreased Oribatid mites and Collembola Arthropleona in soil, findings indicated that litter was the primary habitat for edaphic mesofauna. Changes in the soil food web must be considered for the development of sustainable management plans.

Technical Abstract: Mesofauna play an important role in nutrient biocycling, but little attention has been given to fertilizer and lime impacts on forest floor and soil populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fertilization and liming on edaphic mesofauna in a Pinus taeda L. system (Paraná State, Brazil). Lime and fertilizer were applied over litter in a six-year-old P. taeda system using three treatments: complete fertilization (N, P, K, Zn, Cu, B, Mo, and limestone), complete fertilization without lime, and a control. Four years later, winter and summer samples were collected from soil (0-5 cm) and litter for mesofauna and chemical properties. Results confirmed the importance of litter as a niche for mesofauna (94 % of total mesofauna; 286,627 individuals·m-2) compared to control soil (6 % of total mesofauna; 17,833 individuals·m-2). Seasonality was an important factor, with summer populations (135,000 individuals·m-2) being 3-fold higher than winter (42,000 individuals·m-2). Complete fertilization and fertilization without lime increased Oribatid mites in summer litter but decreased Collembola Arthropleona. In the summer, the mesofauna population in soil was lower under complete fertilization. Thus, fertilization and lime applications to P. taeda systems can change edaphic mesofauna in soil and litter.