Relaciones socio-ecológicas entre hormigas y agricultores como estrategia sustentable en cafetales de sombrío (Quipile, Cundinamarca)

Abstract

The shady coffee plantations of Quipile, Cundinamarca are places with great biodiversity potential, providing shelter to important insects such as ants, as well as granting direct and indirect benefits to farmers. Due to the type of management by the farmer and the distribution of shade within the coffee plantation, its characterization is necessary in order to compare and analyze them. The purpose of this research project is (I) To carry out a dasometric characterization of forest and agricultural species in shady coffee plantations in Quipile, Cundinamarca. (ii) Estimate the alpha, beta and guild diversity of the ant community in shady coffee plantations in Quipile, Cundinamarca (iii) Analyze the relationships between dasometric variables and ant richness (iv) Record local knowledge about shady and ants of farmers in shady coffee plantations in Quipile (Cundinamarca) as a sustainable strategy. The study was carried out in 4 farms in the Guadalupe Alto district of the municipality of Quipile, Cundinamarca, where a dasometric characterization of forest species (Tabebuia rosea and Inga sp.), Agricultural species (Musa sp., And Citrus sp.) Was carried out. Of those that were chosen for the San Miguel farm (Tabebuia rosea, Citrus sp and Musa sp) and for the Los Naranjitos, El Recuerdo and Diamanté farms (Inga sp, Citrus sp and Musa sp). In each of the farms the height, DBH and shade percentage were evaluated. For the ants, a manual collection was made to a diameter of the height of the chest and fall traps 1 meter away from each one of the forest and agricultural species evaluated, in the coffee trees only manual harvesting was done. With these data, species accumulation curves for alpha diversity were made with nonparametric ICE and CHAO2 estimators, generally as by farms, for Jac diversity similarity decardones were used for beta diversity and chi square test for comparison of guilds. Finally, 16 farmers of coffee plantations were interviewed to know the perception of the ants and the shady, which were transcribed and with this data a knowledge base was formed through the AKT5® system (Agroforestry Knowledge Tool). It was found that the evaluated forest species have percentages of shade between 50% and 76% considered as a value according to this type of systems, on the other hand a great diversity of ants was found similar to the studies related to this type of coffee plantations which they resemble the diversity of the forests of that region, in addition each farm presents / displays exclusive ants and it is counted on several guilds of ants cataloged like biological controllers of the broca. Regarding the relationship between dasometric variables and ant richness, low positive relationships were found; in the analysis by farm, some had a negative relationship. Regarding the interviews, the farmers have knowledge about the shady and a little ignorance about the role of the ants in their coffee plantations, however the fact that they decide to keep the forest and agricultural species of shady in their farms gives indications of ecologically sustainable practices. It is concluded that the coffee plantations of Cundinamarca quipile to maintain the shade, present agricultural and forest species that have proportions of shadows and optimal size for the development of coffee cultivation. They also harbor a great diversity of insects that fulfill the role of biological control such as ants and because of their structural complexity and interactions in these coffee plantations it is important to manage them.