03168naa a2200205 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000200006024501120008026000090019252023400020165000130254165000160255465000100257065000120258070000190259270000170261170000130262877303210264113147732008-09-05       2008    bl ---       0--  u    #d1 aFLORIANO, P. C.  aEffect of pine monoculture on earthworm (OligochaetabAnnelida) populations near Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.  c2008  aEarthworms are useful bioindicators, being sensitive to various human impacts on the environment. Landscape uniformization and the use of monocultures, common in agriculture and forestry can therefore have significant impact on earthworm populations and diversity. Pine (Pinus sp.) plantations have become increasingly used in forestry practices in southern and southeastern Brazil, but little is known of their impact on soil macrofauna communities. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of 10 and &gt30 yr. old Pinus palustris plantations on soil macrofauna abundance and diversity. Samples were taken in May 2007, at the Experimental Research Station of Embrapa Florestas, in Colombo, Paraná, Brazil, in three Pinus plantations and three native forest (mixed ombrophylous vegetation) fragments. In each site, plots with 3.600 m-2 were selected and 9 samples were taken in a grid of 3 x 3 samples with 15 m distance between samples. Litter and topsoil (0-10 cm) were removed following the TSBF method, and the macrofauna hand-sorted. The present results are only for the earthworm community. A total of 370 individuals were recovered, mostly Amynthas spp. and Pontoscolex  corethrurus. Of the total, 44 earthworms were found in native forest and 326 individuals in the Pinus plantations. In the forest fragments, most individuals were juveniles (28 indiv.m-2) and only a few clitellate adultss (3 indiv. m-2), mainly exotic Megascolecidae (Amynthas spp.). In the pine plantations, most earthworms were juvenile (161 indiv. m-2) and a few were adults (22 indiv. m-2), mainly P. corethrurus. The native Fimoscolex sp. and Glossoscolex sp. were found in both pine and native forest, in very low abundance. A principle components analysis of the data showed that the pine forests tended to concentrate P. corethrurus, while the native forests had fewer or no individuals of this species. P. corethrurus seemed, therefore, to prefer the pine plantations rather than the forests, where the invasive megascolecids tended to colonize, although in relatively low abundance. However, further samples, in other pine plantations and native forests of the region are necessary to properly ascertain these preferences, and the possible impacts of these exotic and peregrine species to soil processes in these forests.  aAnnelida  aOligochaeta  aPinus  aMinhoca1 aSAUTTER, K. D.1 aBROWN, G. G.1 aNIVA, C.  tIn: INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON SOIL ZOOLOGY, 15; INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON APTERYGOTA, 12., 2008, Curitiba. Biodiversity, conservation and sustainabele management of soil animal: abstracts. Colombo: Embrapa Florestas. Editors: George Gardner Brown; Klaus Dieter Sautter; Renato Marques; Amarildo Pasini. 1 CD-ROM.