Taskaeva A.A.*, Konakova T.N., Nakul G.L., Filchagina A.A. 2026. Collembola (Collembola) communities in soils affected by treated wastewater discharge: A first insight into the fauna of the European North of Russia // Russian Entomol. J. Vol.35. No.2: 139–147 [in English].
Institute of Biology of Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kommunisticheskaya str. 28, Syktyvkar 167982 Russia.
* Corresponding author
Anastasia A. Taskaeva: taskaeva@ib.komisc.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-8458
Tatyana N. Konakova: konakova@ib.komisc.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3641-3339
Gleb L. Nakul: nakul@ib.komisc.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9643-5663
Anastasia A. Filchagina: filchagina.a.a@ib.komisc.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4277-0765
doi: 10.15298/rusentj.35.2.01
ABSTRACT. This study investigates the diversity and community structure of collembolans in soils forming under the influence of treated wastewater, and assesses the contribution of such habitats to the overall diversity of the European North of Russia. Faunistic research was conducted in two climatic zones: taiga and tundra. For comparison, floodplain and zonal (undisturbed) habitats were also examined. A total of 153 collembolan species were recorded in the studied ecosystems, with 122 species found in the taiga zone and 96 in the tundra zone. Importantly, certain springtail species were found exclusively at technogenic (wastewater-affected) sites, including species new to the European part of Russia. This indicates the existence of distinct faunal communities associated with the influence of treated wastewater. The analysis revealed impoverished species richness and low levels of α-diversity in floodplain and technogenic sites compared to zonal ecosystems. Population density showed different trends depending on the climatic zone: it decreased significantly at technogenic sites in the tundra, while no significant differences were found in the taiga. The obtained results open new perspectives for further research into the functional role of soil mesofauna in the processes of organic matter transformation and self-purification of anthropogenically disturbed soils. This research is crucial for developing scientific foundations for remediation and sustainable environmental management.
KEY WORDS: springtails, soil mesofauna, zonal, floodplain, technogenic sites, taiga, tundra climatic zones, European north of Russia.