Impacts of Forest and Agricultural Land Use on Soil and Litter Arthropod Assemblages in Southern Province of Rwanda

Abstract

To assesseffects of land use change on soil and litter arthropods, a research was conducted in
exotic and native tree species at the Artboretum of Ruhande and in varieties of coffee and
banana plantations at the Rubona agricultural research station, in southern Rwanda. Data
were collected by pitfall traps, hand sorting, and Berlese-Tullgren funnels. Collected
specimens of soil and litter arthropods were morphologically identified under microscope,
and classified to the family level by using dichotomous keys. Fourteen orders and 20 families
comprising 2135 individuals were identified. The family of Formicidae was more abundant
compared to the other identified families, and occurred in all land uses. High abundance and
diversity of soil and litter arthropods werefound under plots of native tree species and banana
plantations compared to exotic tree species and coffee plantations. Research concluded that
native tree species offer suitable habitats for soil and litter arthropods.It recommendedfurther
studies in other land uses and ecological zones of Rwanda to generalize the findings.
Key words: arthropod, fauna, land use change, soil and litter