Komarov O. Ecological features of formation of litter mesofauna in natural forests of the South Forest-Steppe, Poltava region.

The objects are the forest biogeocoenosis of the South Forest-Steppe, Poltava region, and their litter mesofauna, population of dominate species of litter mesofauna of ground beetles Carabidae (Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Fabricius, 1787), Poecilus versicolor (Sturm, 1824), Calathus ambiguus (Paykull, 1790), C. melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)). The aim is to reveal the ecological features of formation of litter mesofauna in natural forests of the South Forest-Steppe, Poltava region. The methods are geobotanical description, morphological characteristic, visual supervision, soil-zoological, fixing and preservation of a material, specific identification, laboratory contents of hexapods, statistical analysis. The main types of biogeocoenoses are marked out on the basis of forest typology developed by A. L. Bel'gard. The biogeocoenoses present widespread nature floodland and sandy terrace forests in the Poltava region. The features of structure of litter mesofauna are determined. Firstly the taxonomic structure, number, biotopical distribution of litter invertebrates are studied in detailed in natural forests of the South Forest-Steppe of the Poltava region. The differences of ecological structure of litter mesofauna inhabited floodland and sandy terrace forests are shown. Trophic specialization of dominate species of litter mesofauna by example of ground beetles Carabidae. The use of size-function model is proposed for the research of litter mesofauna organisation and litter invertebrate trophic webs in ecosystems. Application sphere is the training courses.