ANALYSIS OF SOIL FAUNA FOR THE BIOMONITORING OF SOIL QUALITY

Soil quality indicators are physical, chemical, and biological properties, processes, and characteristics that can be measured to monitor changes in the soil conditions. The types of indicators that are the most useful depend on the function of soil for which soil quality is being evaluated. Biological indicators include measurements of micro- and macro-organisms, their activity, or byproducts. Soil fauna vitality has been proposed as an indicator for biomonitoring the status of soil stressed by mechanical insults such as excavations for the deposition of oil pipelines and extreme compressions due to the movement of heavy machinery for the transport of excavation materials. The QBS Index - i.e. the “Biological Quality of Soil” - based on the biological forms of edaphic microarthropods (Acari Oribatei, Diptera, Pauropoda, Collembola, Isopoda, Annelida, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera) has been proposed to assess soil biological quality. In this study we monitored the area of a farm, including forest and agricultural soils, to assess the impact occurred after oil pipeline implantation during the five-year period 2013-2017. The changes in the populations of microarthropod groups in forest and agricultural soils have been analyzed. A different score, 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 soil conditions and evolution