Biomonitoring of Soil Quality By Soil FAUNA

The awareness of the problems related to soil pollution, in heavily populated areas, has led to a growing interest in the soil fauna study; the biological quality of the soil through the soil fauna is, to date, one of the most approved methodologies. Analyses were carried out as part of the environmental monitoring inside the farm “Il Querceto” (Italy), characterized by both forest and agricultural areas. The aim was to verify the evolution of some biological characteristics of the farm’s soil concerned by the burial of an underground pipeline. The monitoring of soils was performed by using the index of Biological Quality of Soil (QBS-ar); proposed by Prof. Vittorio Parisi (University of Parma); it is based on analysis of all groups of microarthropod in the soil (insects, arachnids, myriapods, crustaceans). The changes in the populations of some microarthropod groups (Acari Oribatei, Diptera, Pauropodi, Collembola, isopods, annelids, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera) in relation to different conditions of each soil have been analyzed. A different score, corresponding to stated numerical values, defined Ecomorphological index (EMI), has been attributed to each biological form. Each microarthropod group in the soil sample receives an EMI score from 1 to 20, according to its adaptation to the soil environment. The QBS index is the sum of EMI scores; the underlying concept is that soil quality is positively correlated with the number of microarthropod groups that are well adapted to soil habitats. Thus, the QBS index is a measure of how well the soil fauna adapt to the particular soil conditions. This study has been performed in 4 steps: Sampling; Extraction of soil fauna; Analysis of soil fauna; Calculation of QBS-ar-class quality. In this specific case the QBS-ar allowed to discriminate the impact of oil pipeline in both the forest and agricultural areas.