Diversity of soil mesofauna in northern taiga biogeocenosises of the Kamennaya River basin (Karelia)

The population of soil mesofauna in the basin of the small river subzone of the northern taiga (Karelia) has been investigated. It was shown that indexes of the number and mass of soil mesofauna in the landscape-ecological row of biogeocenosises are maximal in floodplain soils. The taxonomic composition and structure of domination of the soil mesofauna population depends on the location of biogeocenosis in the landscape: earthworms are dominants in riverine floodplain biogeocenosises, and larvae of elaterids and spiders prevail in the places outside of floodplains. The abundance of saprophytic invertebrates in floodplain biogeocenosises results in formation of humus of the mull type. A group of animals with mixed type of nutrition dominates in the places outside of floodplain soils that are related with humus of the moder-mor type. The population of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) allows the division of biogeocenosises into two groups according to their position in the landscape.