Seasonal and land-use induced variations of soil macrofauna composition in the Western Ghats, southern India

Soil macrofauna was surveyed in six sites characterised by different vegetation types on five occasions in the Western Ghats, India. Sampling sites included a primary forest, a weakly disturbed forest (slightly logged in the past), a highly disturbed forest (intensively logged), an Acacia auriculiformis plantation (8 years old), a pasture with high density of Phoenix humilis and a pasture without P. humilis. We showed that both land management and temporal variability induced significant changes in the soil macrofauna. Forest sites hosted larger densities of soil macroorganisms. The effect of seasons was apparent as some clear modifications in the fauna composition occurred. Some groups like earthworms mainly exhibited temporal variability whereas others like millipedes were chiefly affected by land management options. The seasonal rhythms of soil macrofauna were poorly expressed in the pasture plots and the Acacia plantation, but were particularly clear in the forest sites. This interaction between land management and temporal patterns may be explained by some changes in the species composition associated with certain land-uses. Our approach was based on a between–within classes PCA that proved particularly useful by providing statistical tests and a hierarchy of land management and temporal rhythm effects.