The effect of changing forest vegetation to rangeland on soil flora and fauna activities of the mountainous part of Kinj-Nowshahr

Soil flora and fauna play an important role in nutrient cycle and ecosystem sustainability. With the aim of investigating the changes in the activity of these soil organisms as a result of the change of vegetation from forest to rangeland in the mountainous regions of the north of the country, the present study was considered. For this purpose, in the Kinj region of Nowshahr, a forest habitat dominated by Carpinus orientalis Miller., habitat dominated by Crataegus microphylla C. Koch. - Berberis integerrima Bunge., rangeland dominated by Stachys byzantina and rangeland dominated by Rhamnus pallasii was considered. From each of these habitats, 12 soil samples were transferred to the laboratory. According to the results, the highest amounts of coarse root biomass belonged to Carpinus forest and Crataegus - Berberis plant type, while the forest cover had the highest amounts of fine root biomass. The number and biomass of epigeics and anecics did not show a statistically significant difference between vegetation covers. The largest populations of endogeics, total earthworms, Acarina, collembola, nematodes, protozoa, bacteria and fungi were observed in the Carpinus forest. The forest cover and Crataegus - Berberis plant type had the highest amounts of basal respiration, carbon and phosphorus microbial biomass and arylsulfatease enzyme activity. The highest levels of soil substrate induced respiration were observed in Crataegus - Berberis plant type and the highest levels of nitrogen microbial biomass, urease, phosphatase and invertase enzymes activities were observed in Carpinus forest. The principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that the deforestation and their conversion into rangelands have reduced the activities of flora and fauna, soil quality and fertility.