Soil microclimate influence on density and biomass of annelids in a urban forest fragment - CIENTEC Park/SP

• Grant number: 14/18778-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2014
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Physical Geography
• Principal researcher: Déborah de Oliveira
• Grantee: Danilo Oliveira Mesquita
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Earthworms are among the most important animals of edaphic fauna because they interfere with the availability of resources through physicochemical changes that they perform in soil. The distribution and organization of these animals are influenced by several factors that work in different temporal and spatial scales, as the climate, the soil type and the vegetation. Therefore, this project objective is to analyze soil microclimate characteristics of an Atlantic Forest fragment on a secondary stage of regeneration in Sao Paulo (CienTec Park), in order to relate them to the density and biomass of annelids and understands its organization patterns, adaptability, and influence on soil morphology. Thus, will be realized two annelids collect in the dry and wet season. For the evaluation of biodiversity and statistical analysis will be applied abundance and heterogeneity tests, Simpson dominance, and multivariate analysis. The data will be related with physicochemical variables and macromorphological characteristics, as well as soil microclimate variables: temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and soil temperature.