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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 3434

Yu.G. Geltzer, G.A. Korganova, A.S. Yakovlev, and D.A. Alexejev; [Soil Testacid]. Akademy of Sciences of the USSR Society of Protozoologists of the USSR Series << Protozoology >> 5:108-142, 1980

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In cultivated and virgin dern-podzolic soils (coniferousbroad-leaved forests of the Moscow region), turf-lands and spruce forests of the Kalinin region, 73 species and subspecies of Testacids were revealed. The number of Testacids per 1 g of totally dry soil was shown to range from a few dozens to hundred thousands, the biomass reaching 2 g per m2. The highest species varieties and abundance of shells were found in litter and humus horizons in soils under spruce forest. The distribution of Testacids is closely associated with the humus content in soil horizons. Active cells constitute 5-20% of the total amount. The testacid fauna is a complex of ecological groups: fresh-water, moss and soil dwelling forms, the latter being mostly found in dern soil. The indices of species composition, the abundance and relation between morphological types of Testacids can be used for estimation of soil conditions.