Abstract

Indonesia is a country with the third largest biodiversity after Brazil and Madagascar. Of the about 325.530 species of flora and fauna globally, an estimated 25% of the world's species are found in Indonesia. Macrofauna, a land animal that plays a role in influencing the soil ecosystem has specific environmental requirements that enables it to be used as biological indicators of ecosystem conditions, mainly rice paddy ecosystem. This research is necessary owing to the demand for an easy and accurate indicator in predicting soil fertility for farmers. In addition, this study conducted in July TO August 2018 can be used as an inventory of macrofauna indigenous species that may still remain in the paddy field, Dukuhseti district. The implementation of observations was done in paddy fields in the Dukuhseti district in Pati regency, Central Java. Macro fauna specimens and soil samples were taken at various points. 121 individual macro faunas were found and divided into three phyla and 10 Order. The results showed that macro fauna diversity was not always positively correlated with soil chemical properties. Total N, available P, organic C and pH is not directly proportional to the increasingly diverse types of macro fauna in a rice field. The soil’s chemical nature in the form of base saturation has a positive correlation with macro fauna diversity that makes it serve as an indicator of fertility. Base saturation in the fields can be associated with the presence of different kinds of macrofauna decomposers such as earthworms, millipedes and denitrivor. Indigenous macrofauna species was not found in the paddy fields in the Dukuhseti district due to intensive land management.

Key words: Macrofauna, soil fertility, soil biology.