Impact of Cacao Agroforests on Termite Diversity in Peruvian Amazon

Bc. Matěj Zídek

Master's thesis

Abstract:

In Amazon Basin agroforestry systems are promising alternative agricultural farming, that should preserve the structural diversity that simulate the native tropical forests better than do conventional agriculture. This study investigated how cacao agroforestry management in the lowlands of Peruvian Amazon support and change termite species composition, diversity and functions and if it is in term of relative biodiversity composition closer to primary and secondary forest or if it is more close to slash and burn farming. We decided to monitor termites as bioindicators for their quick reaction to environmental changes and human disturbance.We hypothesized that termite species diversity level will decrease along with increasing level of disturbance in four monitored areas. Including primary forest (PF), secondary forest (SF), cocoa agroforestry system (AF) and annual maize field crop (AC). Highest species diversity will be in forest habitats and lowest in annual maize field due to the high disturbance connected with burning. Termite species density was calculated by averaging the number of species that was found in each transect section among feeding-groups and sites while relative abundance was calculated by averaging the number of encounters of species in each transect section among feeding-groups and sites. In total, eighteen termite species from five subfamilies were recorded in this study area, including three feeding-groups. The most abundant PF and SF had the same species richness, with nine species gathered in each sites, followed by four species in AC and three species in AF. We have showed that agroforestry does not necessarily always provide protection for termite population. This result surprisingly unconfirmed our hypotheses which was state on various studies where agroforestry outcome more positive in biodiversity conservation than slash and burn farming. This may be linked to the level and frequency of weeding in AF, while fallow in AC, even when it is highly disturbed habitat, may allow for rapid termite re-colonization.

Keywords

cacao agroforestry, Peru, species richness, Isoptera, Termitoidae, disturbance, land-use gradient, bioindicator

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 9. 5. 2017

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Ing. Bohdan Lojka, Ph.D.
• Reader: Jan Křeček, CSc.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / Tropical Crop Management and Ecology