Influência do fósforo e nitrogênio nos invertebrados de serapilheira em uma floresta da Amazônia Central

Abstract

Studies have explored the relationship between the availability of chemical elements in the soil and patterns of species diversity and abundance. Within this scenario, it is crucial to recognize the importance of fundamental nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the development and viability of living beings, as they are often present in organic molecules. In this study we will analyze how environments with the addition of phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N), phosphorus + nitrogen (P+N) with a Control group (no addition of nutrients) affect the diversity, abundance and richness of litter invertebrates. When analyzing the influence of nutrient addition on the abundance and richness of invertebrates, no changes were detected in relation to the control environment. To further refine the analyses, we separated the invertebrates into two groups, Insecta and non-Insecta (arachnids and myriapods). We found that the addition of phosphorus reduced the abundance of non-Insecta and the addition of nitrogen+phosphorus resulted in a decrease in insects. Although nitrogen is an essential component for biological processes, its introduction in the experiment did not result in a significant change in invertebrate groups. It is crucial to understand the impact of increased nutrient supply on ecosystems and examine its repercussions on soil fauna, however, the availability of comparative case studies between different habitats is currently limited.