Academic literature on the topic 'Litter mixtures; soil mesofauna'

This research was conducted to study the population and diversity of soil and leaf litter mesofauna in arable soils under different types of vegetation and slope at the Agriculture Experimental Field (AEF) of University of Lampung. This study was designed to use the survey method. The soil and leaf litter samples were taken from different vegetation and slope classes. Observational variables included population and diversity index of soil mesofauna (H’), soil temperature, soil moisture content, soil pH, soil organic-C, soil total-N, and soil C/N ratio. The data of population distribution were presented in a boxplot diagram and the correlation between soil properties and mesofauna population or mesofauna diversity index were presented. The results showed that the most abundant soil mesofauna was observed in the plots with sugarcane vegetation, either sampled at the end of dry season (November 2015) or at the beginning of rainy season (April 2016). However, the highest number of leaf litter mesofauna was found in the plot with cassava vegetation. This result suggests that the cassava leaf litter most likely became the preferred substrate for mesofauna. In all treatments, the value of mesofauna diversity index (H‘) was categorized as low according to the Shannon-Weaver index. Two dominant orders frequently found in almost all vegetation types were Acarina and Collembola. The results of correlation analysis indicated that only soil pH sampled on November 2015 was positively correlated with the mesofauna population (range of pH 5.0 to 6.6). Soil moisture content sampled on November 2015 and soil C/N ratio sampled on April 2016 were positively correlated with the diversity index of soil mesofauna, respectively. Soil total-N sampled on November 2015 was negatively correlated with the soil mesofauna diversity index. The increase of leaf litter biomass appeared to promote the increase of the leaf litter mesofauna population, but not the diversity index.Keywords: diversity index, leaf litter, soil mesofauna, vegetation

This research was conducted to study about abundance and diversity of soil and litter mesofauna to the effect of forest cover change that occurred in the Pemerihan Resort, Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. This research was compiled in a completely randomized design (CRD) and there were four different lands, which were: (1) primary forest, (2) coffee plantation, (3) corn field, and (4) grassland. The observation of mesofauna was taken in soil and litter from four different lands cover. The variable of observation were mesofauna abundance and diversity index, soil chemical properties (pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, P available, and exchanged potassium), and soil physics properties (bulk density, soil temperature, humidity, and porosity). Data were analyzed using F test and further test using least significant differences (LSD) at 5%. The results showed that the different of lands cover affect the diversity index of litter mesofauna, the abundance of litter and soil mesofauna, yet did not affect the diversity index of mesofauna underground. However, the abundance and diversity index of soil and litter mesofauna in the primary forest was higher than the other lands.

The effects of two herbicides (atrazine and alachlore) and two insecticides (fipronil and carbofuran) were evaluated on soil mesofauna and organic matter decomposition, in a maize field with normal culture conditions, using the litter-bag method. The litter-bag method was discussed and considered to be adapted for this type of in situ study, especially under normal culture conditions, where it is difficult to find real control plots. However its adaptability is conditioned by some utilisation factors. The litter-bag colonization and modifications of this colonization by phytopharmaceuticals were interpreted using functional groups classification. Except for alachlore, herbicides appeared to have no differentiated effect on mesofauna. Accordingly, fipronil significantly affects the dynamics of bag colonization by selected groups belonging to soil mesofauna. Key words: Phytopharmaceuticals, maize, soil microarthropods, functional groups, trophic relationships, litter-bags

<p>The edaphic mesofauna comprises litter-decomposing organisms deposited on the surface that directly participate in the process of nutrient cycling and the formation of organic matter, essential to maintain soil quality. The aim of this research was to quantify the abundance, richness and diversity of the edaphic mesofauna in caatinga environments in the semiarid region of Alagoas. For this research, two areas of native caatinga were selected, located in Olho D’Água do Casado (area I) and Delmiro Gouveia (area II), in the state of Alagoas, whose areas of vegetation are characterized as hypoxophilous caatinga. The collections were conducted bimonthly between February 2012 and October 2013. For the collection of mesofauna, twenty pre-selected points were used, from which samples of soil + litter were taken, with the aid of metal rings, 5 cm soil depth. The samples were taken to the battery of extractors Berlese-Tullgren, which was modified for the extraction of the organisms, and later the captured organisms were quantified and identified in the order of the large taxonomic groups. To measure the wealth of the groups, Shannon’s Diversity Index and Pielou’s Equability Index were used. The dominant groups of soil mesofauna in area I were Acarina, Collembola, Isoptera and Psocoptera, while in area II were Acarina, Collembola, Psocoptera and Hymenoptera.</p>

The use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides can change the agroecosystem gradually. These changes may result in a decrease in the diversity of soil organisms. These organisms are very important in the decomposition process of reforming the organic matter into compounds that are readily absorbed by plants. Other changes include a change in the soil structure which will affect the soil chemical and physical characteristic and ultimately affect the soil productivity leading to a decreased agricultural product. The return of the remains from harvest, litter and crop residues from coffee and cocoa crops to the soil will provide energy for soil organisms and it will help maintain the soil environment that supports the life of other organisms. This research aimed at identifying the composition and diversity of mesofauna formed by the composted organic matter in cocoa and coffee plantations. Soil sampling was conducted on coffee and cocoa plantations in the Onelako village of Ndona District. Soil sampling was conducted in September 2010. Soil sampling used Neuman method of 0-15 cm and 16-30 cm depth. Each soil sample was taken to the laboratory. The separation of mesofauna from soil used Berlese-tullgran method that had been modified for 4 days. The separated Meso fauna was identified under the light microscope. The result of this research showed that the highest composition of mesofauna decomposer of organic matter in cocoa and coffee vegetation is Collembola. Collembola is very tolerant to acidic soil condition and they are dominant in the soil and surface habitats that contain lots of litter. Collembola is microarthropods that have large distribution both in quantity and diversity. The highest diversity of mesofauna on coffee vegetation is 1.525 and on cocoa, vegetation is 1.273. It was also noted that at a depth of 0-15 cm there was a higher concentration of mesofauna in the coffee vegetation area, which was about 7.3960, while in the cocoa vegetation there where 3.6376. The high level of the diversity index caused an increase in decomposition and therefore better soil fertility.

Abstract The dynamics and performance of soil biota during forest rotation were studied in monoculture beech stands forming a chronosequence of four different age-classes (30, 62, 111, 153 yr). Biomass was monitored in major groups of microflora, microfauna, mesofauna, and macrofauna. Resource availability (litter layer, soil organic mater), biomass of the two dominant decomposer groups (microflora, earthworms) as well as the biomass of mesofauna and microfauna were found to remain quite stable during forest succession. Nevertheless, the marked increase of the biomasses of primary decomposers (fungi, saprophagous macroinvertebrates) in the 62-year-old stand, followed by an increase of the biomasses of macropredators in the 111-year-old stand, indicate substantial changes of several components of edaphic communities during forest development. However, constant values of soil respiration suggest that the overall performance of the soil food web does not change during beech forest succession. Thus, the decomposer system of lowland managed beech forests on calcareous soils seems to be very stable over time. We suggest that earthworm activity might have masked impacts of forest development on other soil biota and led to an astounding stability of decomposer assemblages during beech forest rotation.

Important for soil quality, the edaphic fauna is indicative of an environment in equilibrium. The study aimed to identify the macrofauna and mesofauna organisms of the soil in a fragment of riparian forest. The work was carried out in a fragment of ciliary forest on the farm Tamandu&aacute;, municipality of Santa Terezinha, Para&iacute;ba. The macrofauna was quantified in soil samples collected at different depths (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm) using the TSBF method. For the mesofauna was collected randomly in the same area, samples of soil + litter in the depths 0-5 cm and 5-10 cm using metal rings. The design was completely randomized in a 4 &times; 2 factorial scheme (4 seasons, 2 depths), with 5 replicates, the means being compared by the Tukey test. The main orders of the macrofauna were: Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Isoptera, and Enquitre&iacute;deos being the order of greater proportion in the two depths to Hymenoptera. There were a higher population and diversity of soil macrofauna in the superficial layer (0-5 cm). For the mesofauna were found in the samples organisms belonging to the groups Acarina and Collembola, being the order Acarina the most representative in the two depths evaluated. The environment of riparian forest presents greater diversity and density of macrofauna and mesofauna of the soil in the layer of 0.0-5.0 cm of depth, which presents greater food supply and conditions favorable to the survival of these organisms.

As part of the long-term soil productivity study in central British Columbia, we examined the effect of soil compaction and organic matter removal on trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) litter decomposition. We compared three levels of organic matter removal (stem-only, whole-tree harvest, and scalped mineral soil) and two levels of compaction (no compaction and heavy compaction) in a factorial design replicated as blocks on three sites. Whole-tree harvesting significantly increased litter decomposition rates compared to stem-only (by 36%) and scalped (by 41%) treatments. Soil compaction had inconsistent effects on decomposition rates (k) for forest floor and scalped treatments and, overall, did not significantly affect litter decomposition rates. Litter on scalped plots had higher rates of nutrient translocation than litter on forest floors. We found the treatments altered soil heat sums, so changes in temperatures at the soil surface might be partly responsible for the changes in decomposition rates. We could not detect differences in soil mesofauna populations collected from the litter bags, so treatment effects on fauna probably had less influence than microclimate on decomposition rates. The effects of these early changes in litter decomposition on biological productivity will be part of the ongoing long-term soil productivity study. Key words: Litter decomposition, soil compaction, scalping, whole-tree harvest, nutrient translocation

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier le processus de décomposition des litières en région méditerranéenne et comment ce processus pouvait être affecté par le changement climatique. Dans un premier temps, nous avons abordé le rôle de la qualité et de la diversité des litières sur le processus de décomposition dans deux écosystèmes typiques de la région méditerranéenne française : la forêt à chêne et la garrigue à chêne kermès. Dans un second temps, nous avons étudié l'impact du changement climatique (via un stress hydrique aggravé) sur le processus de décomposition.Nous avons montré des effets de la diversité des litières sur le processus de décomposition et sur la structure des communautés d'organismes décomposeurs. Dans la forêt, les espèces compagnes de Q. pubescens favorisent la diversité et l'abondance des communautés d'organismes décomposeurs ainsi qu'un processus de décomposition plus efficace. A l'opposé, dans la garrigue, c'est l'espèce structurante qui favorise la décomposition et les décomposeurs.En ce qui concerne l'évolution de la relation diversité des litières - processus de décomposition dans un contexte de changement climatique, on observe une forte diminution des interactions synergiques en forêt (excepté à forte diversité végétale), alors qu'à l'opposé, cela entraine, en garrigue, une meilleure complémentarité entre les espèces avec une forte augmentation des effets synergiques.Mes résultats suggèrent que la diversité des communautés végétales joue un rôle important sur le processus de décomposition et mettent en avant que le maintien de cette diversité semble nécessaire dans un contexte de changement climatique
L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier le processus de décomposition des litières en région méditerranéenne et comment ce processus pouvait être affecté par le changement climatique. Dans un premier temps, nous avons abordé le rôle de la qualité et de la diversité des litières sur le processus de décomposition dans deux écosystèmes typiques de la région méditerranéenne française : la forêt à chêne et la garrigue à chêne kermès. Dans un second temps, nous avons étudié l'impact du changement climatique (via un stress hydrique aggravé) sur le processus de décomposition.Nous avons montré des effets de la diversité des litières sur le processus de décomposition et sur la structure des communautés d'organismes décomposeurs. Dans la forêt, les espèces compagnes de Q. pubescens favorisent la diversité et l'abondance des communautés d'organismes décomposeurs ainsi qu'un processus de décomposition plus efficace. A l'opposé, dans la garrigue, c'est l'espèce structurante qui favorise la décomposition et les décomposeurs.En ce qui concerne l'évolution de la relation diversité des litières - processus de décomposition dans un contexte de changement climatique, on observe une forte diminution des interactions synergiques en forêt (excepté à forte diversité végétale), alors qu'à l'opposé, cela entraine, en garrigue, une meilleure complémentarité entre les espèces avec une forte augmentation des effets synergiques.Mes résultats suggèrent que la diversité des communautés végétales joue un rôle important sur le processus de décomposition et mettent en avant que le maintien de cette diversité semble nécessaire dans un contexte de changement climatique

A mesofauna edáfica compreende pequenos invertebrados que vivem nos primeiros centímetros do solo e na serapilheira. Sabe-se que o plantio de leguminosas com espécies arbóreas não fixadoras de nitrogênio melhora a fertilidade do solo, porém não se conhece o efeito desses plantios nos invertebrados edáficos. Diante disso, objetivou-se, com este estudo, avaliar o efeito de plantios puros e mistos de Eucalyptus grandis e Acacia mangium na mesofauna edáfica e estabelecer relações da mesofauna com os atributos químicos do solo e da serapilheira e os microbiológicos do solo, a fim de se construir um novo indicador de qualidade do solo. Para tanto, em outubro de 2015 (estação seca) e março de 2016 (estação chuvosa) foram avaliados os atributos físico-químicos da serapilheira (Ca, Mg, N, P, C, C/N, C/P, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, umidade), microbiológicos do solo (C mic, respiração do solo e atividade da desidrogenase), a umidade do solo e a mesofauna do solo e da serapilheira (riqueza, densidade e diversidade de mesofauna). Já os atributos químicos do solo (pH, Ca, Mg, C, N, P, Al, H+Al, Na, K) foram avaliados apenas em outubro. A média dos atributos foi comparada pelo teste de Tukey a 5%, enquanto que correlações, regressões e análises multivariadas foram feitas para estabelecer relações entre a mesofauna e os atributos do solo e da serapilheira e, posteriormente, construir um indicador geral de qualidade do solo. A fauna que habita a serapilheira, os atributos microbiológicos do solo e o indicador geral de qualidade do solo apresentaram maiores valores na estação chuvosa. A umidade foi muito correlacionada com os atributos biológicos do solo e da serapilheira. Foram também constatadas diferenças entre tratamentos, sendo que na estação seca há preferência da mesofauna pelo hábitat solo, possivelmente com a prevalência de relações mutualísticas entre microrganismos e mesofauna, enquanto há uma expressiva preferência da mesofauna pela serapilheira durante a estação úmida.
Soil mesofauna comprises small invertebrates that live in the first centimeters of the soil and in the litter. The consortium between leguminous trees and non-nitrogen-fixing tree species improves soil fertility, but the effect of these plantations on edaphic invertebrates is not known yet. Thus, we aimed at evaluating the effect of pure and mixed plantation of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium on the invertebrates that inhabit the soil and litter. We looked for correlations between those plantations, soil and litter chemical attributes and soil microbiological attributes to create a general indicator of soil quality in Acacia mangium (AC), Eucalyptus grandis (EU) and mixed plantations of Acacia and Eucalyptus (M). The chemical litter attributes evaluated were Ca, Mg, N, P, C, C/N, C/P, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, besides soil and litter moisture, soil microbiology (microbial carbon, soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity) and soil and litter mesofauna (richness, density and diversity) in two seasons: October 2015 (dry season) and March 2016 (rainy season). Soil chemical analyses (pH, Ca, Mg, C, N, P, Al, H+Al, Na, and K) were from samples collected in October. We made comparisons of the means between forest systems, and established a general indicator of soil quality based on regressions and multivariate analyses, to identify correlations between mesofaunaand chemical and microbiological attributes. Litter mesofauna, microbial activity and the general indicator of soil quality presented much higher values in the rainy season than in the dry season. Moisture correlated positively with most of the soil and litter biological attributes. There were few differences between the forest systems; although we observed a clear mesofauna preference for soil as habitat in the dry season, possibly linked to the prevailance of mutualistic interactions between soil mesofauna and microorganisms, while the mesofauna showed great preference for the litter as habitat during the moist season.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES
Nutrient cycling is fundamental to forest maintenance, and involves the deposition of organic material, its decomposition and nutrient release for reabsorption by superior plants. These processes are regulated by biotic and abiotic factors that determine the environmental sustainability. This study had the objectives to determine the monthly litter production and the time necessary to the accumulated litter to disappear, characterize the process of decomposition, evaluate the microbial activity and the effect of climatic and soil conditions on it, determine the fluctuations of the microorganisms and mesofauna communities in a Caatinga forest site, and, finally, analyze liter quality in order to identify the different phases of the process of organic matter decomposition and nutrient enrichment. Field work was carried out at the RPPN of the Fazenda Tamanduá, located in Santa Terezinha (PB), from October 2003 to September 2004 (period 1 = P1) and from October 2004 to September 2005 (period 2 = P2) in seven transects systematically located in the RPPN area. Litter production were estimated from monthly litter collection from 20 1mx1m collector boxes randomly distributes in the transects. The collected litter was fractioned into leaves, stems, reproductive structures and miscellany, and then dried and weighed. Every three months the deposited litter on the soil was collected from 0,5mx0,5m frames, dried and weighed, to calculate the decomposition factor (K) and the time required to 50 and 95% of litter decomposition. The rate of litter decomposition was estimated in nylon bags with 30g of dried litter. These 480 nylon bags were divided equitably and placed around the 20 collector boxes. Every month, one nylon bag from each collector bag was recovered from the field and the litter inside was taken out, cleaned and weighed to determine its weight loss. Diurnal and nocturnal microbial activity was measured by means of soil respiration. Macronutrients composition of the deposited litter and in the litter inside the nylon bag was determined. Litter production during P1 and P2 was 1290.9 kg ha-1 and 1947.5 kg ha-1, respectively, totaling 3238.5 kg ha-1. Leaf, stem, reproductive structure and miscellany fractions corresponded to 64.14, 23.48, 10.9 and 1.46% of total litter production, respectively. More litter deposition was observed in the beginning of the dry season. The values of the coefficient of litter decomposition were 1.1 and 1.4 for P1 and P2, respectively, and mean a fast nutrient transfer from litter to soil. The time required to 50 and 95% litter decomposition was 229.9 and 996.4 days, respectively, in P1, and 178.8 and 770.1 days, respectively, in P2. Initial litter weight loss in nylon bags was fast due to the degradation of labile composts by microorganisms, and decreased afterward due to the more resistant and more lignified materials of the remaining litter. Fungi population was larger than the bacteria population, favored by soil water availability. Mesofauna was mainly represented by Diptera’s 67.24% of the total number of counted mesofauna individuals or of the total biomass of mesofauna individuals and Acarine’s (53.49%), in P1 and P2, respectively. The low values of Shannon (0.38) and Pielou (0.15) indexes denoted the distribution heterogeneity of the mesofauna representatives. The order of macronutrient concentrations in the accumulated litter was as follow: N > Ca > S > K > Mg > P. Litter P content was higher than the expected for dry tropical forests.
A ciclagem de nutrientes, fundamental para a manutenção das florestas, envolve desde a deposição de material orgânico, sua decomposição e disponibilidade de nutrientes para os vegetais superiores. Todos esse processos são regulados por fatores bióticos e abióticos que determinam a sustentabilidade do ambiente. Este trabalho teve como objetivos determinar a produção mensal de serapilheira e o tempo necessário para o desaparecimento da serapilheira acumulada; caracterizar o processo de decomposição; avaliar a atividade microbiana e a influência das condições edafoclimáticas durante esse processo; conhecer as flutuações das comunidades de microrganismos e da mesofauna do solo em área de caatinga e, por último, analisar a qualidade da serapilheira a fim de identificar as diferentes fases do processo de decomposição e concentração de nutrientes. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na RPPN pertencente à Fazenda Tamanduá, localizada no município de Santa Terezinha (PB), durante dois anos, sendo o período 1 compreendido de outubro/2003 a setembro/2004 e o período 2 compreendido de outubro/2004 a setembro/2005. Foram demarcados sete transectos, onde foram realizadas todas as avaliações. Para a produção da serapilheira, foram distribuídas 20 caixas coletoras de 1m x 1m, sendo mensalmente coletado todo o material precipitado, que foi separado nas seguintes frações: folhas, galhos, estruturas reprodutivas e miscelânea; depois foi seco em estufa e pesado. A cada três meses foi coletada a serapilheira acumulada no solo, utilizando-se uma moldura metálica de 0,50 m x 0,50 m. Todo o material acumulado na moldura foi retirado, seco em estufa e pesado, calculando-se assim o fator de decomposição K e o tempo necessário para decompor 50% e 95% da serapilheira. Na avaliação da taxa de decomposição da serapilheira, utilizou-se sacola de náilon contendo cada uma 30g de serapilheira previamente seca. Próximo de cada caixa coletora foram distribuídas 24 sacolas de náilon contendo serapilheira, totalizando 480 sacolas. Mensalmente foram coletadas 20 sacolas, sendo o material retirado, limpo e pesado para avaliar a perda de peso em relação ao inicial. Paralelamente, avaliou-se no campo, a atividade microbiana, medida pela respiração edáfica, nos turnos diurno e noturno. Determinou-se também a qualidade química da serapilheira depositada e a que foi decomposta nas sacolas de náilon, quanto à concentração dos macronutrientes. A produção de serapilheira durante o período 1 de estudo foi de 1290,95 kg ha-1 e 1947,56 kg ha-1 no período 2, totalizando 3.238,51 kg ha-1, sendo a fração folhas predominante na serapilheira devolvida ao solo com 64,14%, seguida da fração galhos (23,48%), estruturas reprodutivas (10,92%) e miscelânea (1,46%). A maior deposição ocorreu no início da estação seca, caracterizando a sazonalidade. Os coeficientes de decomposição (K) de 1,1 para o período 1 e, 1,4 para o período 2, indicam uma transferência mais rápida dos nutrientes contidos na serapilheira para o solo. O tempo necessário para decompor 50% e 95% da serapilheira foi de 229,9 dias e 996,4 dias, respectivamente, período 1. No período 2, o tempo de meia vida foi de 178,8 e 770,15 dias para decompor 95%.A maior perda de peso da serapilheira acondicionada nas sacolas de náilon ocorreram no início do período de exposição, resultado da degradação dos compostos lábeis pelos microrganismos, sendo a velocidade do processo diminuída ao longo do tempo, devido a permanência das partes mais resistentes e lignificadas da serapilheira. Quanto a microbiota, a maior população foi de fungos, em relação à de bactérias, estimulado, principalmente, pelas condições favoráveis na disponibilidade hídrica do solo. Os grupos predominantes da mesofauna foram Díptera com 67,24% no período 1 e Acarine com 53,49% no período 2. Os baixos valores nos índices de Shannon (0,38) e de Pielou (0,15), indicaram uma baixa uniformidade na distribuição dos indivíduos. Quanto à composição química da serapilheira, a serapilheira depositada apresentou concentração de nutrientes na seguinte ordem: N > Ca > > S > K > Mg > P, sendo os teores de P encontrados na serapilheira considerados elevados para florestas tropicais secas.

Soil organisms are fauna and flora that spend all or part of their life in the soil. They play a vital role in the maintenance of soil fertility through processes such as the accumulation of soil organic matter, soil aggregation, and the mineralization of organic matter which releases nutrients available to higher plants. Moreover, many antibiotics are produced from microorganisms isolated from soils. Soil fauna include macrofauna (> 2 mm in width, such as mice, earthworms, termites, and millipedes), through mesofauna (0.2-2 mm, such as collembola and mites), to microfauna (<0.2 mm, such as nematodes and protozoa). Soil flora include macroflora (such as the roots of higher plants), and microflora (such as algae, fungi, actinomycetes, and bacteria). The activities of soil fauna and flora are intimately related in what ecologists call a food chain or, more accurately, a food web. Higher plants play the role of primary producers by using water and energy from the sun, and carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide to make organic molecules and living tissues. Soil organisms that eat live plants, such as mice or termites, are called herbivores. Most soil organisms, however, use the debris of dead tissues left by plants and animals (detritus) as their source of food, and are called detritivores. Soil organisms that consume live animals, such as centipedes, mites, spiders, or nematodes, are predators and are called carnivores. Some organisms that live off, but do not consume, other organisms are called parasites. Mycrophytic feeders are organisms that use microflora as their source of food, and include certain collembola, mites, termites, nematodes, and protozoa. The actions of soil fauna in the food web are both physical and chemical, while those of the microflora are mostly biochemical. The actions of mesofauna and macrofauna enhance the activities of the microflora in several ways. First, the chewing action fragments the litter to expose the more easily decomposed cell contents for microbial digestion. Second, the fragmented plant tissues are thoroughly mixed with microorganisms in the animal gut, where conditions are ideal for microbial action. Third, the mobile animals carry microorganisms with them and help them to disperse and find new food sources.

Studies of the soil mesofauna were carried out in Tanaev meadows of the «Nizhnyaya Kama» National Park in natural and disturbed areas. The abundance of pedobionts and herpetobionts in natural areas significantly exceeded the abundance in disturbed areas. However, the taxonomic composition and trophic structure were similar. In general, communities structure indexes in natural sites indicate a stable ecosystem of floodplain meadows. The observance of pipe laying technology during further restoration of disturbed areas, high soil moisture and a small width of the disturbed soil layer contribute to the preservation and rapid restoration of the structure and population of large soil and litter invertebrates of meadow phytocenosis.