Soils represent a large carbon pool, approximately 1500 Gt, equivalent to almost three times the quantity stored in terrestrial biomass and twice the amount stored in the atmosphere. Any modifi cation of land-use or land management can induce variations in soil carbon stocks, even in agricultural systems that are perceived to be in a steady state. Th ese modifi cations also alter soil macrofaun...

Estuaries, compared to offshore waters, are often characterized as habitats in which the biomass of aquatic organisms is high but their diversity is low. Standard reference works [e.g. (Kinne, 1971)] and textbooks on estuarine ecology [e.g. (Day et al., 1989)] present inverse relationships between species abundance and salinity, typically for benthic invertebrates. Variability of the environmen...

Biodiversity and structure of the benthic macrofauna communities were studied in the southeast the Caspian Sea (Golestan Province – Iran) during one year from October 2014 to September 2015. Seasonal samplings were done at 6 stations in 3 transects. Depth, temperature, salinity, pH, E.C., total organic matter and grain size were measured. More than 4,037 individuals belonging to five orders, Po...