SOIL MICROBIOLOGICAL AND SOIL ZOOLOGICAL METHODS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF ALAs MEADOW SOILS OF CENTRAL YAKUTIA

Abstract

The article discusses the results of research of soil microbiomass and communities of soil inhabiting oribatid mites in permafrost alas meadow-chernozem soil. This study allowed assessing the features of the state and main characteristics of the metabolic activity of microbiomass and the number and species diversity of the community of oribatid mites. In general, permafrost meadow soils of Central Yakutia are characterized by lower values of microbiomass and specific metabolic activity of this biomass than meadow soils of the European part of Russia, but higher values of microbial biomass and respiratory activity than permafrost taiga soils of Central Yakutia. The total average number of carapace oribatid mites in the meadow alas soil was 8640 sp/m2. This indicates a relatively high degree of favorable environmental conditions for communities of soil inhabiting oribatid mites in the studied ecosystem. The conducted research allows concluding that soil-microbiological and soil-zoological methods can be successfully used in the environmental monitoring of permafrost meadow soils of Central Yakutia.