Mesofauna at the Soil-Scree Interface in a Deep Karst Environment

The community patterns of Collembola (Hexapoda) were studied at two sites along a microclimatically inversed scree slope in deep karst valley the Western Carpathians, Slovakia, warm and cold periods year, respectively. Significantly lower average temperatures profile noted gorge bottom both periods, meaning that site part scree, near bank creek, was considerably colder wetter compared to warmer drier upper slope. Relatively high diversity observed fieldwork sites, where cold-adapted species, considered climatic relicts, showed considerable abundance. bottom, with wet microclimate carbon content even deeper MSS horizons, provided suitable environmental conditions for numerous psychrophilic subterranean species. Ecological groups such as trogloxenes subtroglophiles decreasing trends abundance depth, contrast eutroglophiles troglobiont showing an opposite distributional pattern periods. Our study documented terms soil mesofauna, colluvial screes gorges represent (1) transition zone between surface environment, (2) important climate change refugia.