Análisis comparativo de las propiedades químicas e hidrofísicas del suelo con diferente cobertura vegetal en las microcuencas Yutujapina y Lluchucarrumi, ubicadas en la parroquia Cumbe del cantón Cuenca

Abstract

Paramos are natural water regulators and therefore important ecosystems. They are also fragile systems where soils play an elemental role as indicators of their health, and can be degraded mainly by human activities and changes in land use. In this context, this research was carried out in two micro-watersheds, one altered (Yutujapina) and the other in the process of passive recovery (Lluchucarrumi), located in the San Luis de Cumbe parish of the Cuenca canton. The objective was to compare chemical and hydrophysical properties of the soil with different vegetation cover, to determine whether or not the change in land use affects these parameters. By taking georeferenced points, the study areas were delimited and the land uses were defined, where altered and unaltered samples were taken and in situ tests were carried out. The main results indicated that the changes in land use were mainly due to anthropization processes and the introduction of pine forest, an exotic species. This affected the different variables analyzed, with the Yutujapina micro-watershed showing the greatest disturbance. The degraded covers presented lower values of organic matter, nitrogen and saturated hydraulic conductivity, but when analyzing potassium, bulk density, phosphorus and cation exchange capacity, they showed higher results. Through the construction of the pF curves, it was found that the grassland and pasture land uses have a higher water availability and the pine forest has a water content well below that of all the coverages analyzed.