Carapace mites are important regulators of the mineralization of organic residues and the immobilization of various biogens in the soil. In the course of the research conducted on the territory of the Gunib district of the Republic of Dagestan, only 89 species of shell mites belonging to 61 genera and 41 families were identified. New data have been obtained that complement the list of species of shell mites in the Caucasus as a whole. Recently described Liacarus (Dorycranosus) musaevi, and two endemics of the Caucasus – Xenillus sculptrus and Suctobelba cornigera – were noted for region. Among other groups of soil microfauna, shell mites occupy a leading position, both in terms of their number and abundance of species. In studies conducted in mountain systems, it was found that the General pattern is a decrease in the number of microarthropods with an increase in absolute height. Very often, the pattern of changes in the taxonomic richness and population density of the microarthropod complex is diamond-shaped, characterized by maxima in the zone with the most favorable microclimate for a large group of species. From top to bottom, the microarthropod population density and taxonomic richness decrease along the mountain profile. As a result of the study, the maximum population density and abundance of oribatid species is observed in the soil of a birch forest and its gradual decrease as it transitions to grasslands, which is explained by changes in the hydrothermal conditions of soil horizons, both due to an increase in height and due to a change in the nature of vegetation to treeless.
Combined selective gamma irradiation and pulverized soil inoculation for ecologically relevant soil microfauna studies
