TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of industrial pollution and habitat characteristics on epigeic invertebrate abundance JF - Evraziatskii Entomologicheskii Zhurnal Y1 - 2012 A1 - Zolotarev, M. P. A1 - Belskaya, E. A. SP - 19 EP - 28 AB - Analysis of changes in epigeic invertebrate abundance was determined in an area influenced by the Middle Ural Copper-Melting Factory. This was examined in relation to the following environmental parameters: concentrations of metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd), moisture and acidity of forest litter, projective cover of grass-shrub layer, density of canopy, influence of coniferous trees, average number of plant species per sample area. It is noted that abundances in 12 families (beetles: Carabidae, Staphylinidae; harvestmen: Phalangida, Nemastomatidae; spiders: Agelenidae, Clubionidae, Gnaphosidae, Hahniidae, Linyphiidae, Liocranidae, Lycosidae, Zoridae) change differently approaching the source of pollution (metals, SO2); for example, Nemastomatidae and Staphylinidae considerably decrease their abundance in vicinity of the factory in comparison with other families, and indeed some families of spiders (Gnaphosidae, Lycosidae) even increase it. It is shown that abundance changes in most families are generally determined by pollution and associated environmental parameters. Species rich taxa, due to their wide diversity of life-forms and ecological characteristics, are the most tolerant to the effects of pollutants. It is assumed that the tolerance of epigeic arthropods to pollution is determined by their life-forms, mainly in relation to nutrition and mode of forage, and position within the different soil horizons and above-ground vegetation strata. VL - 11 SN - 1684-4866 UR - ://ZOOREC:ZOOR14811074602 N1 - ZOOR14811074602 ER -