Comparison of richness, diversity, and evenness of soil macrofauna in growing and dormant seasons in Amygdalus scoparia Spach stand of the Geno protected area, Iran

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate of Biodiversity, Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, Bandar Abbass Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbass, Iran

2 Corresponding author, Assistant Prof., Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, Bandar Abbass Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbass, Iran

3 Assistant Prof., Research Division of Natural Resources, Hormozgan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Bandar Abbas, Iran

4 Assistant Prof., Department of Environment, Faculty of Natural Resources, Bandar Abbass Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbass, Iran

5 Assistant Prof., Plant Protection Research Department, Hormozgan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Bandar Abbas, Iran

Abstract

   The aim of this study was to compare the richness, diversity, and evenness of soil macrofauna and the factors affecting it during the growing and dormant seasons in Amygdlus scoparia Spach stand in the protected area of Geno located in Hormozgan province, Iran. After the selection of a half-hectare stand of Amygdalus scoparia in the Geno protected area, 10 soil samples were randomly collected in the depth of 15 cm, under the crown of trees in growing and dormant seasons in order to measure physiochemical characteristics and identify soil macrofauna and their relations. After macrofauna separation, samples were transferred to the laboratory for physiochemical analysis. All variables were compared across two seasons using T-Test analysis (p <0.05) and the correlation of variables was analyzed using Pearson correlation (p <0.01). The results showed that all soil properties (nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, and temperature) except electrical conduction and soil acidity in the growing season were significantly higher than those in dormant season. The frequency and biomass of macrofauna in the growing season were 1060 in m2 and 5.9 mg.m-2, respectively, comapred to 90 in m2 and 0.7 mg.m-2 obtained for dormant seasons. Further, the indices of Margalef, Menhinick, Simpson, Shannon and Waever, and evenness Pielou and Hill in growing season (2.55, 2.15, 0.79, 1.77, 0.89, and 0.93) were significantly higher than those in dormant season (0.23, 0.53, 0.09, 0.13, 0.49, and 0.19, respectively). Soil macrofauna frequency along with biodiversity, richness, and Pielou evenness indices showed positive and significant correlations with organic carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen and soil temperature.

Keywords


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