Effect of Soil Moisture on the Epigeic Arthropods Diversity in Steppe Landscape

The consequences of global climate change are a decrease in precipitation as well as an increase in the length of the period with high temperatures from spring to autumn. The climate change intensified the negative consequences of land reclamation and regulation of rivers by dams in Ukraine in the 20th century. The modern landscape of the Circum-Pontic and Circum-Azov regions in Ukraine has undergone desertification, and a multiple reduction in the freshwater runoff has manifested itself in a violation of the water balance of soils and their salinization. In addition to the climate change and anthropic landscape transformations, most upland areas in southern Ukraine have been converted into farmland, systematically fertilized and treated with pesticides and herbicides. Total plowing of the territory also led to soil erosion and degradation. The global climate change and the impact of human activity have affected the diversity of the steppe fauna as well. The questions of the influence of soil humidity on the diversity of epigeic arthropods were considered on the example of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Soil moisture is one of the key factors that determines their diversity.