Biodiversity and functional roles of soil organisms: An analysis of millipede populations in Southern Albania

Abstract

Soil organisms are an important component of the biodiversity of terrestrial biogeocenoses. Their considerable taxonomic and ecological variability determines a significant functional role in soil formation processes, mechanisms of sustainable development and productivity of natural ecosystems. The aim of the study is to develop a practical approach to the ecological assessment of soil organisms populations using the example of Diplopoda in the southern region of Albania. The study was carried out using general scientific methods of cognition: system and cluster analysis, synthesis, specification, abstraction, formalization, deduction, generalization, and the statistical method. The article systematizes and analyses statistical data on the assessment of populations of millipede species found in the study area. It considers the influence of environmental factors on the distribution of representatives of the class Diplopoda. It calculated the frequency of species according to the collection areas, constant values for the species of the three represented orders. Based on the data variety, composition of each zone is carried out with cluster analysis using Average Linkage. The similarity between zones is studied. The dendrogram obtained indicates the proximity of zones according to their diversity composition. Based on the results of the study, a system of tools was proposed as part of the ecological assessment of soil organisms populations, and the main approaches to its implementation were developed. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of using them to study the dynamics of soil organism populations, including in the period of global climate change, to develop a dynamic approach to the ecological assessment of soil ecosystems and to implement an appropriate adaptation and regeneration strategy