Análisis de las propiedades químicas del suelo en un transecto altitudinal del refugio de vida silvestre Yankay

Abstract

The Yankay Wildlife Refuge is a protected area where the lack of previous studies on the soil resource makes the evaluation and prediction of threats difficult, increasing the vulnerability of the ecosystem and restricting the development of effective conservation strategies. Information scarcity impedes accurate data-based planning and decision-making, which could lead to ineffective strategies and ecosystem degradation. That is why this study aims to analyze the chemical properties of the soil in an altitudinal transect of that area in order to evaluate whether the refuge soil is of quality. To achieve this, the methodology implemented had an exploratory-descriptive approach. The study area was visited to select representative sites and the transect was divided into 6 experimental units from which 6 complex samples were obtained from stratified random sampling. Then the samples were analyzed in the soil laboratory of the Faculty of Natural Resources and their main chemical properties were determined such as pH, EC, CEC, Organic Matter, macro and micro nutrients, which are established as parameters to evaluate the quality of the soil shelter. From these analyzes the quality of the soil was evaluated based on the values established by the USDA, resulting in high quality soils, since all EUs recorded values greater than 55%, despite the fact that in 2 of the 6 EUs there has been a change in land use (from forest to pasture) due to anthropogenic intervention; a direct influence is not yet reflected in the chemical properties and these properties continue to be maintained. In conclusion, despite the variations in chemical properties along the transect, all soils analyzed are in optimal conditions.