Abstract: With the rapid development of biotechnology, the introduction of a large number of genetically modified (GM) crops into agricultural ecosystems has raised environmental concerns over ecological impacts of these crops on soil ecosystems. As the decomposers in food webs, soildwelling invertebrates play an essential role in soil ecosystems. The number and diversity of soildwelling invertebrates are directly related to the health and quality of soil. Soildwelling invertebrates as potential indicators of soil quality have become an important part of the ecological risk assessment of GM crops. This article first summarizes residue of exotic gene expressing products of GM crops in soil, and then reviews the recent research advances on the impact of GM crops on main soil invertebrate groups, including nematodes, springtails, mites and earthworms. Generally, information available so far indicates that plantation of GM crops has had no significant sideeffects on diversity and community of soil invertebrates, with only variations in numbers and composition of some environmentally sensitive species. Current research results of GM crops on soil invertebrates are unable to compare one to the other due to differences in investigation methods, crops and soils, so it is suggested that establishment of standard methods and criteria in ecological assessment of GM crops on soil invertebrates should be speeded up for conducting reliable ecological evaluation of GM crops, so as to promote development and commercialization of GM crops as well as to minimize sideeffects of GM crops on ecosystems in China.

Key words: Pinus koraiensis, latitude, climate change., tree ring