Collembolans and Mites Communities as a Tool for Assessing Soil Quality: Effect of Eucalyptus Plantations on Soil Mesofauna Biodiversity

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the population dynamics of collembolans and mites in an area under eucalyptus cultivation and native grassland, and their use as bioindicators to quantify changes in soil quality. Soil samples were collected monthly and the microarthropods were extracted by the Berlese-Tullgren modified funnel method. There were differences in the abundance of mites and collembolans in the area, showing that eucalyptus alter the diversity of the micro-arthropods edaphic. The abundance of mites and collembolans was found to be an excellent tool for studying the impact of farming on edaphic biodiversity.