<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Stipa lessingiana steppes used to be prevalent on the dry Trans-Ural denudation plains, particularly, on the Sub-Ural and the Turgay Plateau. But, most of them have been lost because they were plowed up during the Virgin Land campaign in the second part of 20<sup>th</sup> century. This paper presents a detailed study of the faunistic composition and the structure of soil-dwelling invertebrate communities (macrofauna) of a temperate-dry bunch feather grass steppe in the Turgai Plateau (Northern-Turgai physical-geographical province of steppe Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast). The study site is located in the territory of the Naurzum State Nature Reserve, a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Saryarka Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan”, where remnants of Virgin S. lessingiana steppes have been preserved to the present day. This region is the driest and most continental in climate of all the dry steppes of Kazakhstan. The total abundance and biomass of soil invertebrate communities in the investigated site were lower than in the northern and western steppe areas. Soil invertebrates are among the major components that determine the functioning of terrestrial natural ecosystems.</p></abstract>

Stipa lessingiana steppes used to be prevalent on the dry Trans-Ural denudation plains, particularly, on the Sub-Ural and the Turgay Plateau. But, most of them have been lost because they were plowed up during the Virgin Land campaign in the second part of 20th century. This paper presents a detailed study of the faunistic composition and the structure of soil-dwelling invertebrate communities (macrofauna) of a temperate-dry bunch feather grass steppe in the Turgai Plateau (Northern-Turgai physical-geographical province of steppe Kazakhstan, Kostanay Oblast). The study site is located in the territory of the Naurzum State Nature Reserve, a part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Saryarka Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan”, where remnants of Virgin S. lessingiana steppes have been preserved to the present day. This region is the driest and most continental in climate of all the dry steppes of Kazakhstan. The total abundance and biomass of soil invertebrate communities in the investigated site were lower than in the northern and western steppe areas. Soil invertebrates are among the major components that determine the functioning of terrestrial natural ecosystems.

Soil macrofauna (invertebrates) of Kazakhstanian Stipa lessingiana dry steppe

Kostanay State Pedagogical Institute, Kostanay, Taran str., 118, Kazakhstan

Federal State-Financed Scientific Institution “AzNIIRKH”, Rostov-on-Don, Beregovaya str., 21B, Russia

Hacquetia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Soil macrofauna (invertebrates) of Kazakhstanian Stipa lessingiana dry steppe"}

Stipa lessingiana steppes used to be prevalent on the dry Trans-Ural denudation plains, particularly, on the Sub-Ural and the Turgay Plateau. But, most of them...

Soil macrofauna (invertebrates) of Kazakhstanian Stipa lessingiana dry steppe

Published Online: Aug 12, 2016

Page range: 105 - 112

Received: Nov 15, 2015

Accepted: May 31, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2016-0017

Keywords
dark chestnut soil, Stipa lessingiana steppes, soil invertebrate communities (macrofauna), structure

© by Tatyana М. Bragina

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Soil macrofauna (invertebrates) of Kazakhstanian Stipa lessingiana dry steppe

Published Online: Aug 12, 2016

Page range: 105 - 112

Received: Nov 15, 2015

Accepted: May 31, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/hacq-2016-0017

Keywordsdark chestnut soil, Stipa lessingiana steppes, soil invertebrate communities (macrofauna), structure

© by Tatyana М. Bragina

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
dark chestnut soil, Stipa lessingiana steppes, soil invertebrate communities (macrofauna), structure