Abstract

ROSA, Isis N. De la  and  NEGRETE-YANKELEVICH, Simoneta. Spatial distribution of soil macrofauna in cloud forest, secondary forest and grassland in La Cortadura reserve, Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2012, vol.83, n.1, pp.201-215. ISSN 2007-8706.

The conversion of forest to agriculture or pasture homogenizes soil properties, including the communities of macroinvertebrates. This study examined whether the diversity (H'), density and spatial heterogeneity (patch size) of litter and soil macroinvertebrate recover through the secondary successional sequence pasture (Pas)-secondary forest (Bsec)- mature cloud forest (BMM). In the litter an increasing gradient for all variables was observed through the successional sequence. However, this pattern was not present in the soil, where the highest diversity and density (per taxon and total) were found in the Bsec. Using variography, we found heterogeneous spatial distributions of litter macroinvertebrates in both forests, while their distribution was homogeneous in the pasture. This supports the idea that disturbance is accompanied by a spatial homogenization of macroinvertebrate communities but spatial restructuring occurs in early succession. However, in the soil, macroinvertebrate variables were distributed in patches (5 to 60 m in diameter) in the 3 sites and, the decrease in spatial heterogeneity predicted for the sequence Pas-BSsec-BMM was not observed.

Keywords : disturbance; secondary succession; variogram; spatial variation; macroinvertebrates.

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