Abundance and diversity of soil arthropods in agroforestry systems in southeastern Pará

Abstract

Agroforestry systems are forms of use and management of natural resources in which woody
species are used in association with agricultural crops simultaneously. These systems allow
greater efficiency in land use and greater biological diversification, being a more balanced
ecological system. Insects are the most important indicators of environmental equilibrium, so
the diversity and abundance of edaphic fauna can reveal the level of environmental balance.
The objective of this work is to evaluate the abundance and diversity of arthropods in agroforestry
systems in southeastern Pará. A total of 12,809 individuals from 20 taxonomic groups
were collected in 4 different agroecosystems in March and April 2015. The highest incidence
groups were Formicidae (37.28%), followed by Collembola (36.99%), Coleoptera (13.47%) and
Diptera (4.70%). The agrosilvicultural system reached the second greatest diversity, surpassed
the pasture and being surpassed only by the forest.