Spatial organization of the soil macrofauna community in a floodplain forest

Abstract

Soil fauna is an important functional component of terrestrial ecosystems. Several hierarchical levels of spatial organization of pedobionts communities can be distinguished: point level, ecosystem level and landscape level. Of particular importance is the ecosystem level of spatial organization where the results of interaction between soil animals and soil and plant environmental factors, as well as the results of the influence of factors of neutral nature are expressed to the greatest extent. The aim of the work is to test the hypothesis that the spatial patterns of soil macrofauna at the ecosystem level can be explained by ecomorphs. Soil animals were sampled in floodplain ecosystems in the Dnieper River valley. Animals were sampled according to a regular grid with recording of local coordinates of sampling points. At the same points, soil properties were measured and geobotanical descriptions of vegetation were made. Phytoindication assessment of environmental factors was carried out on the basis of vegetation descriptions. The soil animal community is represented by high taxonomic and ecological diversity. The spatial distribution of soil macrofauna is not random and is a consequence of environmental factors and causes of a neutral nature. The ratio of these factors varies depending on the scale level. The fine-scale level is represented by factors of neutral nature. Medium- and broad-scale components are determined by soil and vegetation factors. The main spatial patterns of variation in the soil animal community correlate with the ecomorphic features of the animals. The ecomorphic approach allows interpreting the information on the spatial organization of pedobionts communities.