A“Dirty” Footprint: Macroinvertebrate diversity in Amazonian Anthropic Soils

International audienceAmazonian rainforests, once thought to be pristine wilderness, are increasingly known to have been widely inhabited, modified, and managed prior to European arrival, by human populations with diverse cultural backgrounds. Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are fertile soils found throughout the Amazon Basin, created by pre-Columbian societies with sedentary habits. Much is known about the chemistry of these soils, yet their zoology has been neglected. Hence, we characterized soil fertility, macroinvertebrate communities, and their activity at nine archeological sites in three Amazonian regions in ADEs and adjacent reference soils under native forest (young and old) and agricultural systems. We found 673 morphospecies and, despite similar richness in ADEs (385 spp.) and reference soils (399 spp.), we identified a tenacious pre-Columbian footprint, with 49% of morphospecies found exclusively in ADEs. Termite and total macroinvertebrate abundance were higher in reference soils, while soil fertility and macroinvertebrate activity were higher in the ADEs, and associated with larger earthworm quantities and biomass. We show that ADE habitats have a unique pool of species, but that modern land use of ADEs decreases their populations, diversity, and contributions to soil functioning. These findings support the idea that humans created and sustained high-fertility ecosystems that persist today, altering biodiversity patterns in Amazonia

Micronutrient availability in amazonian dark earths and adjacent soils

Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are highly fertile soils in areas with predominance of unfertile soils. However, the variation in nutrient availability between regions and the resilience of ADEs to modern agricultural use is still little known, particularly regarding micronutrient contents. Hence, the present study synthesized current information of ADE impacts on extractable micronutrient (Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn, Zn, B) contents at different soil depths and assessed in detail the role of both soil depth and land-use type on extractable Cu, Ni, Fe, Mn and Zn in nine ADEs and adjacent (ADJ) soils from different Amazonian regions. The land-use systems chosen were secondary old (OF) or young (YF) forests, and agricultural systems (AS) in Iranduba, Belterra and Porto Velho. Only eight studies compared extractable (Mehlich-1) micronutrient contents at 21 sites with ADEs and ADJ soils, but only four studies included depths greater than 30 cm, and B and Ni were evaluated in only one study. Higher Mn and Zn, but lower Fe contents were found in ADEs both from literature data and in the present study, especially in the first 30 cm depth. Increases in extractable Ni and Cu in ADEs varied according to the site and the land use considered. Micronutrient contents tended to decrease with depth, but varied depending on the element, site, soil type and land use. Sites with modern agriculture showed few differences in extractable micronutrient contents, except for a decrease in Fe in Belterra and Mn in Porto Velho. Considering the high amounts of some micro- and macronutrients in ADEs further work is warranted concerning soil management and nutrient balance in plants grown on these soils

A História da Alimentação: balizas historiográficas

Os M. pretenderam traçar um quadro da História da Alimentação, não como um novo ramo epistemológico da disciplina, mas como um campo em desenvolvimento de práticas e atividades especializadas, incluindo pesquisa, formação, publicações, associações, encontros acadêmicos, etc. Um breve relato das condições em que tal campo se assentou faz-se preceder de um panorama dos estudos de alimentação e temas correia tos, em geral, segundo cinco abardagens Ia biológica, a econômica, a social, a cultural e a filosófica!, assim como da identificação das contribuições mais relevantes da Antropologia, Arqueologia, Sociologia e Geografia. A fim de comentar a multiforme e volumosa bibliografia histórica, foi ela organizada segundo critérios morfológicos. A seguir, alguns tópicos importantes mereceram tratamento à parte: a fome, o alimento e o domínio religioso, as descobertas européias e a difusão mundial de alimentos, gosto e gastronomia. O artigo se encerra com um rápido balanço crítico da historiografia brasileira sobre o tema

Composto orgânico com altos teores de níquel e sua biodisponibilidade no sistema solo planta

A utilização de biossólidos industriais na agricultura pode proporcionar aumento de níquel no solo, porém sua biodisponibilidade é influenciada por diversos fatores e, muitas vezes, resíduos com elevados teores de níquel não estão associados à sua alta absorção pela planta. O objetivo foi avaliar a solubilidade do níquel no solo, sua biodisponibilidade e acumulação em plantas. O experimento foi conduzido em vasos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com seis doses de níquel: 0, 9, 18, 36, 72 e 144 mg de níquel kg-1 de solo, via fonte orgânica (biossólido compostado) e mineral (cloreto de níquel) com 4 repetições. Utilizou-se um Cambissolo Háplico como substrato e o morangueiro como planta indicadora. Avaliaram-se os teores no solo pelos extratores: ácido nítrico + clorídrico concentrado (3:1), nitrato de cálcio a 0,5 mol L-1, ácido nítrico a 1,0 mol L-1 e o pirofosfato de sódio a 0,1 mol L-1 além, ainda, dos teores de níquel na raiz, coroa, parte aérea e fruto. As maiores e menores extrações de níquel no solo foram observadas pela aplicação da fonte orgânica e extração com o ácido nítrico e clorídrico concentrado e pelo nitrato de cálcio, respectivamente. Ambas as fontes aumentaram os teores de níquel nos tecidos avaliados, com menores aumentos para fonte orgânica. Os maiores teores foram observados em raiz e os menores em coroa

Organic compounds with high Ni content: Effects on soil and strawberry production

ABSTRACT The use of organic residues can improve soil chemical and physical conditions and plant growth. However, these residues often contain heavy metals that can interfere with growth. Here, a pot experiment was performed to compare the effects of organic compound (OC) containing a high nickel (Ni) load with those of a mineral Ni source (NiCl2, a soluble salt) on the production, quality and nutritional status of strawberry and on soil chemistry. Six dosages of Ni (0, 9, 18, 36, 72 and 144 mg kg-1) were added to the soil using both OC and NiCl2. The use of high-Ni OC resulted in increased productivity and fruit weight, whereas the soluble NiCl2 salt caused reduction in fruit weight. Application of NiCl2 at concentrations >18 mg kg-1 also caused internerval chlorosis on leaves, suggesting that strawberry is highly sensitive to Ni. The mineral Ni source was almost 15-fold more effective than the organic source at increasing leaf Ni content. Application of OC caused an increase of organic matter, Ca, sum of bases, cation exchange capacity, base saturation, Zn, Mn, and Cu, but reduced the levels of Mg in soil