Edaphic Macrofauna as a Recovery Indicator of Abandoned Areas of Corymbia citriodora in the Southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT The edaphic macrofauna may reflect changes in soil use. This study aimed to answer two questions: (1) Has the management of eucalyptus by girdling, promote stimulation or inhibition in the guilds of the edaphic macrofauna? (2) Can soil macrofauna be used as an indicator of the recovery of abandoned eucalyptus areas? For that purpose, we compared the composition and diversity of the edaphic macrofauna in areas of secondary forest, abandoned non-girdled eucalyptus plantations and girdled eucalyptus plantations. The secondary forest presented greater richness, abundance and diversity of edaphic macrofauna, followed by areas of girdled eucalyptus, with the lowest values found in areas with non-girdled eucalyptus. Therefore, the edaphic macrofauna responded to the management by girdling, through the stimulation of the taxonomic groups in the different guilds and can be indicated as a good indicator of the recovery of disturbed areas.