Evaluación del efecto borde de un bosque de Galería en Cabuyaro (Meta) a través de la caracterización de la macrofauna edáfica

Abstract

Soil macrofauna influences soil characteristics such as structure, porosity, and infiltration capacity, which are associated with water regulation, and it is sensitive to changes in its habitat. Gallery forests provide various ecosystem services related to water resources, such as regulating water flows, controlling floods, and preventing riverbank erosion. However, these forests are subjected to anthropogenic pressures that reduce their extent and/or alter the richness and abundance of soil organisms and their properties. This study evaluates the edge effect of a Gallery forest in Cabuyaro (Meta) on the diversity of soil macrofauna as a function of distance from the edge (0-20 m, 20-40 m, 40-80 m, and more than 80 m). In three sections of the Gallery forest, variables related to vegetation structure were measured, 45 sampling points were established, and existing macrofauna were collected. Soil samples were also extracted for characterization. Additionally, a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis was conducted to determine whether the edge effect correlates with soil macrofauna composition. A total of 2,086 individuals were collected, corresponding to 159 morphospecies grouped into four (4) phyla, nine (9) classes, and 19 orders. The orders Blattodea, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had the highest number of individuals. The greatest abundance was recorded between 20 and 40 meters from the edge. Canopy cover and several soil variables, such as Ca/Mg, exchangeable acidity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), K, Mg/K, soil acidity index (SAI), Ca, plant-available water, permanent wilting point, and C and N content, varied with distance from the edge. Specifically, Ca/Mg, Mg/K, Ca, and plant-available water increased towards the forest interior. This study shows that soil macrofauna composition in the Gallery forest is slightly influenced by edge distance, exchangeable acidity, saturation point, and plant-available water.