Combined effects of cropping types and simulated extreme precipitation on the community composition and diversity of soil macrofauna in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

PurposeExtreme precipitation as global change greatly affects above- and below-ground biodiversity. Soil macrofauna play a key role in the agroforestry ecosystem processes. Extreme precipitation might negatively impact soil macrofauna by changing soil water content. Particularly, whether cropping types are beneficial to alleviate response of soil macrofauna to extreme precipitation remains unexplored.Materials and methodsEffects of simulated extreme precipitation of 1month on soil macrofauna were studied under Chinese prickly ash (Zanthoxylum bungeanum) intercropped with soybean (Glycine max), Chinese prickly ash intercropped with sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum), and Chinese prickly ash monoculture. Soil macrofauna and soil samples were collected in three soil depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30cm) per plot. The abundance, diversity, and vertical distribution of soil macrofauna were analyzed for each sample at genus and trophic level. Each sieved soil sample was analyzed for soil water content, soil nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and organic matter. Descriptive statistics and significance tests on raw data were carried out using the SPSS 16.0 software at P