School of Life Sciences, Sambalpur University, Burla - 768 019, Sambalpur, Odisha, India
1Central Library, Sambalpur University, Burla - 768 019, Sambalpur, Odisha, India
This study assessed soil macrofauna diversity across nine different land-use sites experiencing various human pressures. Soil macrofauna were collected using the TSBF protocol, which involved sampling five soil monoliths of size (25 × 25 × 20 cm). These groups included ants, termites, earthworms, and other macrofauna. A total of 5,440 individuals were recorded, with ants (37.76%), termites (26.79%), and earthworms (9.87%) being the most abundant, followed by other macrofauna. Macrofauna abundance was highest in forest sites (40.83%), followed by pasture (35.75%) and agricultural areas (23.42%). The undisturbed forest (F1) showed the highest macrofaunal density (288.18 m2), while continuously burned double agricultural land (A3) had the lowest (152.75 m2). Seasonal variations significantly affected macrofauna, with the highest abundance observed during the monsoon and the lowest in the pre-monsoon season (p < 0.001). The Shannon diversity index was highest at F3 (2.26) during the monsoon and lowest at A3 (0.681). Two-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in macrofaunal density and diversity across sites and seasons (p < 0.001).
Agriculture, Diversity, Forest, Land use, Pasture land, Soil biota, Tropical deciduous habitat
