Characteristics of Soil Fauna Communities and Habitat in Small- Holder Cocoa Plantation in South Konawe

The composition of soil fauna community have played an important role in regulating decomposition and nutrient cycling in agro-ecosyste ms (include cocoa plantation). Changes in food availability and conditions in the soil habitat can affect the abundance and diversity of soil fauna. This study aimed: (i) to analyze the pattern of changes in soil fauna community composition and characteristic of soil habitat based on the increasing age of cocoa plantation, and (ii) to identify taxa of soil fauna and factors of soil habitat which differentiate among the cocoa plantations. Sampling of soil, roots and soil fauna was conducted from cocoa plantation aged of 4, 5, 7, 10, and 16 years. Difference in composition of the soil fauna community between ages of the cocoa plantation was significant. Profile of soil habitats was dif fer significantly between the cocoa plantations, except 5 and 7 years aged. A group of soil fauna had relatively limited in its movement, and sensitively to changes in temperature, soil acidity , and the availability of food and nitrogen were taxa differentiating between soil fauna communities. Soil physic-chemical conditions that affected metabolic activity, movement, and the availability of food for soil fauna were a distinguishing factors of the characteristics of the soil habitat between different ages of smallholder cocoa plantations.