Soil invertebrates diversity of Brutain pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) and Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis) afforestations in Kordkoy region

The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of soil invertebrates at Brutain pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) and Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis) afforestations in Kordkoy region (Mazandaran-Iran). Tending operations have not been performed in these afforestations. For this purpose, invertebrates were sampled in mid-summer, using 20 core soil samples (81 cm2 cross section) to a depth of 10 cm. The fourteen groups of soil invertebrates in each sample were extracted by Berlese funnel and counted by Binocular. Also 20 soil pits of 100×100 cm2 with 10 cm and 20 cm depth were taken and adult earthworms were collected by hand counting. The results of this research showed that the diversity of soil invertebrates (Shanon and Simpson index) with species richness (Margalef index) and species equitability (Heip index) in the Brutain Pine afforestation was greater than Cypress afforestation. Of course it must be mentioned that these differences were not statistically significant. Overall, this study showed Brutain pine has provided a more favorable environment for the presence of soil invertebrates than cypress plantation.