The study was done to investigate the influence of drainage water and land practices on the distribution of Collembola. Soil samples were collected from three sites in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate. The first site (I) cultivated land and irrigated with drainage water, at El-Jeppsi village, the second site (II) cultivated land and irrigated with clean water at Kafr El-Arab and the third site (III) represents impoverished land in Disouq. Four replicates of soil samples at three depths (0-5, 5-10 and 10-15 cm) were chosen. The scheme concerning the dominance classification was adopted. The formula for the depth index and depth deviation used to determine the vertical distribution of Collembola species. Concerning the physical and chemical characters of the studied sites, marked differences were recorded between moisture, temperature and organic matter. However, pH showed no significant difference among the chosen sites. There was no correlation between the concentration of heavy metals and population density of Collembola. The results showed that the mean depth at which Collembola species were fluctuated lies between 3.49 cm in February to 8.1cm in November in site I, however, it ranged from 3.17 cm in May to 7.0 cm in October in site II and from 0.0 cm in May to 10 cm in January in site III. The results showed that the downward movement of Collembola in site III during spring, summer and autumn was clear than that in both of site I &II. This may be related to desiccation of the upper layer during these seasons in site III.
Key words: Ecology, Collembola, Drainage Water, Cultivated Land, Impoverished Land.
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