Soil Macrofauna Diversity in Threatened Veredas in Two Protected Areas of the Brazilian Cerrado

ABSTRACT Veredas are hygrophilous communities that play an important ecological role but have suffered greatly from human action. Litter, a layer of organic matter on the soil surface, is an important bioindicator as it harbours a wide diversity of terrestrial arthropods. This study aimed to analyse soil macrofauna in veredas with different levels of dryness in northern Minas Gerais. Two areas were selected: vereda Almescla (preserved) and vereda Peruaçu (degraded). Sampling was carried out in 24 plots (10 × 20 m) per site, using pitfall traps. A total of 5055 Arthropoda individuals were recorded, comprising four classes, 20 orders, 89 families and 396 morphospecies. The most abundant orders were Hymenoptera, Blattodea, Diptera, Hemiptera and Araneae, with Formicidae, Termitidae, Cicadellidae, Sarcophagidae and Sciaridae as the dominant families. Feeding guilds included omnivores, herbivores, detritivores and predators. Overall species richness and total abundance did not differ significantly between preserved and degraded veredas. Arthropod abundance varied among vereda zones, with higher values observed in the middle zone. Ants were the most representative group, strongly influencing the higher macrofauna occurrence in Peruaçu due to their diversity and adaptability to environmental changes. The results suggest that environmental degradation, rather than reducing macrofauna diversity, favoured certain functional groups, especially herbivores and detritivores, which adapted to altered conditions. This indicates a restructuring of communities instead of a simple decline in biodiversity. There was no difference in arthropod community composition between veredas and zones, indicating the absence of structural changes in the community. The study highlights the importance of conservation and recovery actions to maintain vegetation structure and litter deposition, ensuring the preservation of soil biodiversity in threatened ecosystems such as veredas.