The aims of the project are related to the understanding of diversity and ecosystem function and their relationship to human impact in forests and agroforestry systems of the Mata Atlântica in Paraná State, Brazil. General goals in this ecosystem approach are: 1.)to monitor ecosystem functionality and services in terms of biomass deposition and decomposition, nutrient cycling and forest succession including botany and soil microbiology at a functional level (tree growth, microbial biomass and activity),2.)to assess the diversity of soil biota in different habitats, estimate the magnitude of species richness and species loss and changes in community structure caused by anthropogenic alteration of the environment, and 3.)to develop a classification system indicating the quality of secondary forests in the southern Mata Atlântica as habitat for autochthonous (soil invertebrate) species. The investigation is considered a case study for the whole biome. ... [Information of the supplier]
