Plastic pollution of the environment (including soil) is one of the world’s great problems; however, little is known about the effect of synthetic polymers on the soil community. This review summarizes the results of experimental research on the effects of plastic on different groups of soil animals (21 studies) and soil animals on plastic in the soil (13 studies). The presence of microplastic in soil has a negative influence on nematodes, collembolans, pot worms, and earthworms. The mechanisms of this influence often involve damage or dysfunction of the digestive system. On the other hand, soil animals can contribute to the mechanical degradation of plastics and stimulate their microbial degradation in soil. Based on the extensive experience in studying the consequences of plastic pollution of marine ecosystems, we discuss the main problems, tasks, and prospects of studies on the interaction between plastic and soil animals.

Some unique asexual species persist over time and contradict the consensus that sex is a prerequisite for long-term evolutionary survival. How they escape the dead-end fate remains enigmatic. Here, we generated a haplotype-resolved genome assembly on the basis of a single individual and collected genomic data from worldwide populations of the parthenogenetic diploid oribatid mite Platynothrus peltifer to identify signatures of persistence without sex. We found that haplotypes diverge independently since the transition to asexuality at least 20 million years ago in European lineages, contrasting Japanese and Canadian lineages. Multiple lines of evidence indicate conservation of one haplotype copy and relaxed selection in the other for the ancient asexual lineages. These findings highlight the evolutionary genomic singularities of ancient asexual oribatid mites that may have contributed to escaping the early demise typically associated with asexuality.

The assessment of biological diversity and the processes that govern it is important for ecological research and nature conservation. This review describes the main general theories and presents the modern concept of mechanisms for the assembly of ecological communities. Deterministic (abiotic filter and biotic interactions) and stochastic (ecological drift, dispersal and speciation) processes influencing taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic facets of diversity are discussed. Impact of certain processes (influence of individual environmental factors, biotic interactions, dispersal limitation) on the α- and β- levels of each facet of biodiversity are shown. In turn, estimation of them makes it possible to assess the contribution of certain processes on the biodiversity of the studied local communities.

The description of a new species of oribatid mites (Oribatida) of the family Zetorchestidae—Zetorchestes krisperi sp. nov.—is proposed based on adult and tritonymph specimens collected from rainforest soil of Bi Dup-Nui Ba National Park (southern Vietnam). We also review the distinguishing characteristics for Zetorchestes species and present an identification key to Zetorchestes species of the world. Diagnostic features of Zetorchestes nymphs are discussed.