The species composition, frequency of occurrence, and the abundance of phytohelminths in communities of soil nematodes in natural ecosystems of the Left-Bank Polissia (Chernihiv region) were studied. Samples were collected throughout 2011-2016 in forest and meadow ecosystems on the territory of Chernihivskyi, Horodnianskyi, Kozeletskyi, Koropskyi, Menskyi, Ripkynskyi, Sosnytskyi, Semenivskyi, Shchorskyi and Novhorod-Siverskyi districts. Nematodes were extracted by a modified Baermann's method

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... om the 20-g sample. The exposition time was 48 h. Extracted nematodes were fixed in the triethanolamine–formalin (TAF, 2 % triethanolamine, 7 % formaldehyde solution, 91% water), and mounted on the temporary hydroglyceric slides. Nematode abundance was expressed as specimens per 100 g of dry soil. Seventeen species from three orders, ten families and fifteen genera were found. Eleven species (64.7 % of the species composition) belonged to the order of Tylenchida, four (23.5 %) – Triplonchida, two (11.8 %) – Dorylaimida. Eleven species (Gracilacus audriellus, Paratylenchus nanus, Tylenchorhynchus dubius, Helicotylenchus dihystera, Macroposthonia annulata, Diphtherophora communis, Trichodorus primitivus, Paratrichodorus teres, Paratrichodorus pachydermus, Longidorus elongatus, Xiphinema index) are ectoparasites, three species (Ditylenchus dipsaci, Pratylenchus pratensis, Hirschmaniella gracilis) – endoparasites, and three species (Hemicycliophora sp., Heterodera sp. 1, Heterodera sp. 2) – semiendoparasites. Phytohelminths in communities of soil nematodes in forest ecosystems ranged from 9.4 to 26.3 %. But in meadow ecosystems of the Mezin National Nature Park it was a dominant group (proportion in the community 47%). The most frequent species were G. audriellus, H. dihystera and T. dubius which occurred in 33.3 %, 33.3 % and 28.3 % of samples respectively. P. nanus, D. dipsaci, P. pratensis та D. communis – had frequency of occurrence 15 – 20%. Ten species of phytohelminths were found in 1–4 ecosystems (1.7–6.7%). G. audriellus and H. dihystera were abundant (124 and 56 specimens per 100 g of soil respectively).