02704naa a2200157 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000190006024500970007926000090017652019840018570000200216970000220218970000140221177303210222513149012008-09-22       2008    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d1 aLUIZÃO, F. J.  aActual and potential effects of climate change on soil biodiversity and ecology in Amazonia.  c2008  aSoil fauna diversity and density are recognized as essential parameters for the functioning of the soil system, and are in a large extent related to soil moisture and to the amount and quality of litter covering soil surface. In turn, litterfall and litter layer are influenced by vegetation structure and floristic, as well as by climatic characteristics of a given region. Thus, climate changes which affect forest productivity and/or structure will also cause changes in litter dynamics, with corresponding changes in the decomposer?s community, in decomposition processes, and in soil engineering activities of soil biota. In Amazonia, recent evidences suggest that increased atmospheric CO2 concentration is causing: (i) increases in trunk growth (and in the biomass) of emergent trees, without a correspondent increase in the smaller trees; (ii) increases in the biomass of lianas; (iii) increases in fine litter production. The quality of the litter deposited on soil surface is likely changing correspondingly, inducing changes in soil carbon and soil biota. Direct effects of such changes on soil fauna are still scarce but indications from recent studies are indicating that: (i) drier environments, as illustrated by border effect within a fragmented forest, cause higher litter production, accumulation, quality change, and related changes in the decomposer community; (ii) drier litter layers, as found during the dry season in Amazonia, induce strong changes in soil and litter fungi and fauna densities and activities, illustrating what may be expected in case of prolonged droughts as those caused by the ENSO phenomenon; (iii) drier soils, as induced by rainfall interception, support a reduced or modified activity of soil biota. Current and planned experiments in several regions of Amazonia shall improve considerably our understanding of the actual effect of climate change in soil biodiversity and processes mediated by soil biota within the next few years.1 aTAPIA-CORAL, S.1 aLUIZÃO, R. C. C.1 aBRAGA, R.  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.