The way nematodes form communities on a new substrate after complete soil and plant cover degradation is studied on a model of industrial dumping. It is revealed that recovery of soil cover after degradation begins with invasion of mainly the upper soil horizon by nematodes. At the early stages, species that are resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions dominate (bacteriophages), next the abundances of carnivores and nematodes that are connected with plants increase, which indicates the process of biocenosis regeneration.