Soil epigeal fauna of beech and spruce forest stands had been monitored for 8 years (2007-2014) in 37 selected research area in the Moravian-Silesian Beskids. Collection of material carried out twice per year in spring and autumn aspects. Site characteristics of research localities were characterized by high variability while 4 vegetation altitudinal zones, 8 edaphic categories and 12 forest site types had been distinguished. Soil fauna was extracted by Tullgren devices. Within the monitoring, 11 target animal groups were engaged in: mites, springtails, larvae stages of ground beetles, symphylans, diplurans, proturans, centipedes and millipedes, larvae stages of rove beetles, adults of rove beetles, earthworms, larvae stages of click beetles (wireworms). Earthworm´s and wireworm´s cenosis were deterimined into species and genera, respectively. Remaing groups of soil fauna had been studied within larger systematic categories. Subsequently, abundance and dominance of the particular groups of soil epigeal fauna. The outputs had been compared each other and potential relations between particular animal groups to the specific site properties, vegetation altitudinal zones, edaphic categories and forest site types had been assessed thereby. Overall, 274 015 individuals were captured within the monitored soil animal groups. Several groups of soil cenosis were disvored specific relations to the site conditions. Additionally, 12 species of earthwomrs were distinguished while Dendrobaena octaedra seemed to be significantly dominant species representing 68,33 % of total earthworm´s species spectrum. Larvae stages of wireworms were determined into 5 genera. Representatives of Athous genera formed almost 86 % of the population of wireworms.

Natural forests are characterised by great vegetation diversity and create habitats for a major part of Earth’s terrestrial organisms. Plantation forests, which are mainly composed of a few genera of fast-growing trees, constitute an increasing fraction of global forests, but they only partly compensate for loss of area, habitat and ecological functions in natural forests. Plantation forests established near natural forests can be expected to serve as buffers, but they seem to be relatively poor in invertebrate species and it is not clear why. This bachelor’s degree project aimed at establishing the ecological and edaphic factors that correlate with soil invertebrate diversity in dry upland forests and surrounding plantation forests in eastern Africa. Some aspects of the above-ground vegetation heterogeneity were investigated since this was assumed to influence the heterogeneity of the soil environment, which is considered as critical for soil biodiversity. The obtained knowledge may be valuable in conservation activities in East African forests, which are threatened by destruction, fragmentation and exotic species. The study area was Karura Forest, a dry upland forest in Nairobi, Kenya. Three different sites were investigated; a natural forest site characterized by the indigenous tree species Brachylaena huillensis and Croton megalocarpus, and two different plantation forest sites, characterized by the exotic species Cupressus lusitanica and Eucalyptus paniculata, respectively. For each forest type, six plots were visited. Soil invertebrates were extracted from collected soil and litter samples by sieving and Berlese-Tullgren funnels. The invertebrates were identified, and the taxonomic diversity calculated at the order level. The ecological and edaphic factors, measured or calculated for each plot, were tree species diversity, ratio of exotic tree species, vertical structure of trees, vegetation cover, vegetation density, litter quality, soil pH, soil temperature and soil moisture. One-way ANOVA was used to compare soil invertebrate diversity and other variables between different forest types. Akaike’s Information Criterion and Multiple Linear Regression were used to establish linear models with variables that could explain measured variations of the diversity. There was some evidence for higher soil invertebrate diversity in natural forests than in surrounding plantation forests. The abundance of soil invertebrates was also clearly higher in natural forests, which indicates that natural forests are more important than plantation forests for conservation of soil invertebrate populations. Soil invertebrate diversity (in terms of number of orders present) was found to be influenced by forest type and litter quality. The diversity was higher at places with high amounts of coarse litter, which here is considered as more heterogenous than fine litter. The dependence on forest type was partly a consequence of differences in soil pH since Eucalyptus trees lower soil pH and thereby also soil biodiversity. No relation to heterogeneity of above-ground vegetation was found. For future conservation activities in Karura Forest Reserve it is recommended to continue removing exotic plant species and replanting indigenous trees, to prioritize the removal of Eucalyptus trees before Cypress trees, to only remove a few trees at a time and to establish ground vegetation when doing so.