Abstracts Sociology

Convocatoria de Programa de Doctorado Nacional- Convocatoria 647

by Ingrid Quintero

This Thesis is aimed to understand how the interaction between the ecosystemic and cultural factors in livestock agroecosystems, located at La Vega and Nocaima, Cundinamarca, Colombia, structure its agrobiodiversity and which of these factors model the ecosystem function of incorporating the bovine manure into the soil, done by dung beetles, as surrogates of functional agrobiodiversity, in the productive systems. At the same time, it is intended to estimate the benefit produced by the quantity of ecosystemic function. To achieve it, the environmental index of Main Agroecological Structure (EAP in Spanish) was adjusted and evaluated in nine (9) farms, by using geomatical, biological, functional ecology and rural sociology multidisciplinary approaches, to collect 24 indicators that evaluate the distance, presence and quality of coverages and biological connectors, the management and conservation practices, and the perceptions and capacities of the land owners to potentiate the agrobiodiversity. Additionally, the proportion of colonized dung, as well as dung incorporated by Dichotomius belus Har. was quantified in one the farms (Loma Larga) and, from the positive changes observed in the soil in terms of pH, the organic matter and nitrogen concentration and microbial colony forming units, natural fertilization that specie could perform at the farm was calculated. As relevant results, the agroecosystems agrobiodiversity was, in general, moderated; the relationship between agrobiodiversity and ecosystemic function was directly proportional; the distance between fragments and farm, the presence of internal connectors, the management practices, the herd health, the perception-awareness about the importance of functional agrobiodiversity and the management capacity to benefit coverages between the agro-landscape were the main variables that predicted the ecosystemic function. The effect of functional activity of D. belus in Loma Larga farm would be equivalent to 32,61 kg/ha-1 of nitrogenized fertilized (urea) and 141 dry kg/ha-1 of organic matter, besides to the incorporation of 17.607 L of water, the soil bioturbation, the increase of microbial populations and the disintegration of a portion of dropping that is not incorporated to the soil.