Determinación de la macrofauna edáfica en tres agroecosistemas del cantón Palora.

Abstract

Demand for food is increasing significantly due to world population growth. That is why the need to lead an intensification of agricultural production, which causes changes in land use and land cover. Therefore, the objective of the current research work was to determine the edaphic macrofauna present in the three agroecosystems of the Palora County: coffee, tea, and pitahaya. It used a simple random sampling methodology in order to collect 15 soil samples at a depth of 20 cm in each agroecosystem. Through the use of a GPSMAP 64sx-GARMIN device was possible to identify sampling points. The individual samples were combined to form composite samples that were sent to the laboratory of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Morona Santiago branch. The physicochemical and biological analyses of the collected samples were carried out in the laboratory to identify the edaphic macrofauna in terms of order and family. On the other hand, the pitahaya agroecosystem has a high soil quality; being classified as class 2. In contrast, the coffee and tea agroecosystems were considered of moderate quality, classified as class 3. In the biological analyses found a high quality of macrofauna in the three agroecosystems, evaluating functional groups such as: detritivores, non-detritivores, earthworms, and ants. The Simpson and Shannon diversity index was used and concluded that the tea agroecosystem has a medium diversity. In addition, the pitahaya crop has a high population density. It is suggested to analyze edaphic macrofauna species according to their functional groups in coffee, tea and pitahaya farms.