BIOLOGY OF SOILS SOIL MESOFAUNA OF MOSCOW AND ST. PETERSBURG BOTANICAL GARDENS

摘要

Transformation of landscapes relatively undisturbed by urban use has dramatic and frequently negative effects on the development of soils and their biota. However, there are territories within the limits of the city, the use of which results in the development of highly cultivated soils. These are botanical gardens. In large cities, botanical gardens are irreplaceable sources of biodiversity. They are characterized by an increased diversity of plant cover, with plants extrinsic of the natural zone ofthe city. Many animals find refuge under woody and herbaceous canopies. Soils also exist under specific conditions. They differ from urban soils (urbanozems) and suburban soddy-podzolic soils. This also affects the animal population of soils. It is noteworthy that soil fauna makes up 70-80% of the total zoomass; it is an obligatory structural and functional soil component. Almost no data are available on the structure of soil fauna complexes in botanical gardens.