简介：Soilmacroinvertebratesarehighlydiverseandtheirmajorecologicalserviceincludebreakdownoforganicmatterandinturnimprovesoilfertilityandpill-millipedesarewell-knownfortheirsigni?cantroleiningestion,disintegrationanddecompositionoforganicmatterinsoil.Thisstudycharacterizedthefeed,thedecomposingleaflitterofcoconut(Cocosnucifera),andfaecesoftwoendemicgiantpill-millipedesArthrosphaeradistictaandA.fumosacollectedfromforestsoftheWesternGhatsofIndiabasedonchemicalfeaturesandmicrobialpro?le.Inbothmillipedes,electricconductivityandtotalphosphorusweresigni?cantlyincreasedinfaeces,whilethecrudeprotein,organiccarbon,totalnitrogenandtotalphenolicsweresigni?cantlydecreased,ascomparedtothoseinfeed.Heterotrophicbacteria,actinomycetes,rhizobiaandphosphate-solubilizingbacteriaweresigni?cantlyhigherinfaecesthaninfeed,while?lamentousfungiandyeastsubstantiallydecreasedinfacescomparedtofeedinboththemillipedes.Spectrumoffattyacidmethylesterswasconsiderablydifferentbetweenfeedandfaecesofboththemillipedes.Thetotalsaturatedfattyacidswerehigherthanthetotalunsaturatedfattyacidsinfeedaswellasfaeces,whiletheratioofunsaturated/saturatedfattyacidsdecreasedfromfeedtofaeces.DodecanoicandtetradecanoicacidsinA.distictaandoctadecanoicacidinA.fumosasigni?cantlyincreased,while(9Z)-octadec-9-enoicand(9E,12E)-octadeca-9,12-dienoicacidsinA.distictaandhexadecanoic,tetracosanoicand(9E,12E)-octadeca-9,12-dienoicacidsinA.fumosasigni?cantlydecreasedinfaecescomparedtofeed,indicatingmillipede-dependentchangesinfattyacids.Icosanoicacidwaspresentinfaecesofboththemillipedes,andhexadec-9-enoicacidwascon?nedtofaecesofA.disticta,whilepentadecanoic,heneicosanoic,(9Z,12Z,15Z)-9,12,15-octadecatrienoicandeicosenoicacidswerecon?nedtofaecesofA.fumosa.Pill-millipedesenrichthesoilqualitybyleaflitterconditioningintheirgutthroughspeci?cmi