SOIL MACROFAUNA EVALUATION IN PETRIC PLINTHSOL CULTIVATED USING PITFALL TRAPS

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the soil macrofauna in petric plinthsol cultivated in Paraíso do
Tocantins, in the central area of Tocantins, Brazil. Pitfall traps were used for sampling the specimens. The
collections were carried out once a week, from April to June 2022. Four areas were selected for the study:
Area 1: native vegetation of Cerrado; Area 2: maize cultivation close to Area 1; Area 3: maize cultivation
away (± 3 km) from Area 1; and Area 4: sorghum cultivation linked with Area 3. A distribution pattern was
used to characterize the soil macrofauna. Indicators of frequency and occurrence for the number of individuals gathered included the occurrence (OI) and dominance index (DI) of the species classified by order. A total of 4,879 individuals were collected and gathered in 5 classes (Amphibia, Arachnida, Insecta, Diplopoda, and Gastropoda) and 12 orders: Anura (Class Amphibia), Araneae (Class Arachnida), Blattodea, Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Ortoptera (Class Insecta), Polydesmida (Class Diplopoda), and Pulmonata (Class Gastropoda) The orders Coleoptera (beetles), Ortopera (crickets), Dermaptera (earwigs), and Diptera (flies) were classified as common classes in corn and sorghum crops and presented as the most abundant orders. In the Cerrado fragment, the Coleoptera (beetles), Hymenoptera (ants), and Araneae (spiders) were the common orders. In this study, it was possible to identify parts of the edaphic macrofauna found in petric plithosols in a native area under cultivation. The knowledge obtained in this study is useful for understanding these organisms’ important role in agricultural production systems.