EFFECT OF ATTA MEXICANA WASTES ON THE NUTRITIONAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL

Abstract

Ants are considered as ecosystem engineers due to their ability to modify nutrient availability for other organisms, promote microbial activity, and enhance energy flow. In this study, we conducted a chemical characterization and estimated the microbial activity of the fungal garden residues of Atta mexicana, as well as the soils directly in contact with the waste and reference soils that do not interact with the residues. The objective was to evaluate the effect generated by the residues on the soils where the waste dumps are located. The chemical variables evaluated included pH, electrical conductivity (EC), concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and organic carbon (OC), and microbial activity was estimated based on CO2 emissions. Our results demonstrated that fungal garden residues increased the nutrient content of the underlying soils in the waste dumps, particularly the organic carbon content (291.86 +/- 58.6) and the concentrations of N (8.27 +/- 6.92), P (5.21 +/- 5.4), and K (15.19 +/- 5.5). Additionally, microbial respiration in the interacting soils increased by 7.03 +/- 2.35 times. The evidence gathered suggests that the waste dumps of Atta mexicana fungal garden residues provide ecosystem services that enhance nutrient availability and microbial activity in the soils.