ABSTRACT Fungi are ubiquitous components of soil microbial communities, generally comprise the largest proportion of soil biomass. They can occur as filamentous forms or unicellular yeasts, in both, as free-living or symbionts. Next generation sequencing has allowed greater depth of the access to soil fungal diversity complementing culture-dependent results. In Brazil, the state of Minas Gerais is recognized for its mining activity, which modifies the vegetation cover and consequently the soil microbial communities. To describe the fungal community (total fungi […]

Natural processes that determine soil and plant litter properties are controlled by multiple factors. However, little attention has been given to distinguishing the effects of environmental factors from the effects of spatial structure of the area on the distribution of soil and litter properties in tropical ecosystems covering heterogeneous topographies. The aim of this study was to assess patterns of soil and litter variation in a tropical area that intercepts different levels of solar radiation throughout the year since its […]

Humus forms allow the characterization of either a natural forest ecosystem or disturbed forests. Under this perspective, we aimed to identify the humus forms in three Tabuleiro Forest sites in northern Espírito Santo: two primary forests, “Mata Alta” and “Mata de Córrego”, and one secondary forest resulting from slash and burn, over 40 years old (Capoeira Queimada). Therefore, the holorganic horizons were studied in regard to the pedological parameters of the mineral soil. At “Mata Alta”, a mesotrophic mull was […]

The precise sampling of soil, biological or micro climatic attributes in tropical forests, which are characterized by a high diversity of species and complex spatial variability, is a difficult task. We found few basic studies to guide sampling procedures. The objective of this study was to define a sampling strategy and data analysis for some parameters frequently used in nutrient cycling studies, i. e., litter amount, total nutrient amounts in litter and its composition (Ca, Mg, Κ, Ν and P), […]

The nutrient cycling of two types of vegetation, (a “low forest” – 15 m of height, and a “short forest” – 25 m of height), characteristic of the sandy belts on the Coastal Plains of Ilha do Mel was studied, from June 14th, 1991 to June 12th, 1993. In this first step the soil’s chemical and physical characteristics were studied, in relation to the physical environment and the parent material. The soils were classified as allic/dystrophic podzols, where the B […]