A NOTE ON THE EFFECT OF CATTLE DUNG ACCUMULATION ON SOIL MACROFAUNA

The accumulation of cattle dung on the biomass and macrofauna number a nd diversity in a Cynodon nlemfuensis grassland was measured trimestri ally for two consecutive years. The cattle dung was placed to cover 25 , 50 and 100 % of the area. Results indicate an activation of the soil macrofauna covered by cattle, dung. The area covered (%) by cattle ma nure was directly related to the number of specimens determined and al so showed a large differentiation between the two seasons of the year. The number of specimens was higher compared to the control when the c attle dung covered 100 % of the area, showing similar biomass performa nce (1 vs 0.35 g/0.25 m(2)) of the specimens. There were well-marked d ifferences between the trimesters with the rainy season showing a larg er number of specimens and their biomass. The earthworms and coleopter ous larvae had the highest total biomass weights. Aspects related to t he influence of climatic factors on soil macrofauna are discussed.