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Coarse Woody Debris as Microhabitats of Soil Macrofauna in Polluted Areas

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Abstract

We built a map of the distribution of earthworm abundance in coniferous forests in the area affected by long-term emissions from the Middle Ural Copper Smelter. It is established that a “lumbricide desert” of about 65 km2 without earthworms in the forest litter and soil mineral horizons has been formed near the smelter due to extremely high concentrations of heavy metals. However, we have also found that earthworms (only Dendrodrilus rubidus tenuis) inhabit logs of the late stages of decomposition in this area. Their abundance is comparable to that in the soil of unpolluted (background) areas; single individuals (including cocoons) were also found in the soil directly under the logs. Gastropods, which are absent in standard soil samples in this area, were also recorded in these logs (five species). We suppose that the presence of such “survival microsites” may serve as a mechanism of recolonization of polluted areas by groups sensitive to pollution after the reduction of emissions, followed by a decrease in soil toxicity.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to A.V. Nesterkov for assistance in field studies, as well as to E.V. Golovanova for earthworms identifying and V.S. Mikryukov, O.V. Dulya, M.R. Trubina, and K.B. Gongalskii for discussion and comments on the text of the manuscript.

Funding

The material was collected as part of the state assignment of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences; the data analysis and manuscript preparation were supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 18-04-00160.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 620144, Yekaterinburg, Russia

    E. L. Vorobeichik, A. I. Ermakov, D. V. Nesterkova & M. E. Grebennikov

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  1. E. L. Vorobeichik
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  2. A. I. Ermakov
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  3. D. V. Nesterkova
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  4. M. E. Grebennikov
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Correspondence to E. L. Vorobeichik.

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Statement on the welfare of animals. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Translated by D. Zabolotny

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Vorobeichik, E.L., Ermakov, A.I., Nesterkova, D.V. et al. Coarse Woody Debris as Microhabitats of Soil Macrofauna in Polluted Areas. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 47, 87–96 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359020010173

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359020010173

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