Efeitos do fogo recorrente na serrapilheira: consequências para artrópodes, decomposição e mineralização de carbono e nitrogênio em uma floresta de transição da Amazônia

Arthropods play an important role in ecosystem functioning, participating in nutrient cycling, decomposition and the breaking up and mixing of the leaf litter. Forest fires are increasing across the Amazon basin, and destroy the litter layer and kill the invertebrates that live within it. The objective of this thesis is to investigate how recurrent fires affect these processes, investigating the abundance and density of leaf-litter arthropods and the rate of decomposition of organic material and the mineralization of C and N, in a transitional Amazonian forest in the municipality of Querencia in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The study was conducted in 50 ha of primary forest (500 x 1000 m) that was experimentally burned every year from 2004, and an unburned primary forest control of the same size. The arthropods were collected in 40 pitfall traps and 40 funnel Berlese traps, located randomly. The collections were undertaken in February, April (wet season), June, and August (dry season) of 2007, after the third experimental burning. The arthropods were identified to the level of Order, and the ants were identified to the level of Genera. The decomposition study was undertaken using 480 litter bags, randomly distributed with 240 in each plot, 4 months after the last burns. The litter bags were constructed with 2 mm nylon mesh (fine mesh), and 50% of them had 1 cm² holes cut in their sides (coarse mesh). 10g of dry leaves were placed in each litter bag, and 30 bags were collected from each plot every 2 months, equalling 2 collections in the wet season and 2 in the dry season. The litter bags were dried in an oven, and litter was weighted again to calculate decomposition. The difference between inicial and final weight showed the decomposition rate. Ten litter bags were selected randomly from every collection, mesh size, and plot, and subjected to a C and N analysis. The arthropods demonstrated strong seasonal differences. Springtails were less abundant and ants were more abundant in the dry season. Along with ...