Changes in the organic matter of taiga soils during the natural reafforestation after cutting in the middle taiga of the Komi Republic

It has been shown that the distribution features of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic fractions of humic substances (HSs) in the upper genetic horizons of undisturbed podzolic soils and litho-barrier podzols are similar. The concentrations of the separate HS fractions in the mineral horizons are largely determined by the soil mineralogy. In forest litters of secondary phytocenoses developed after the cutting of spruce forests, an increase in the content of hydrophilic compounds has been observed on loamy deposits at a decrease in the portion of lignin-like organic compounds. An increase in the portion of Al-Fe-humus compounds has been revealed in the mineral soil horizons of secondary phytocenoses. It has been proposed to use the degree of hydrophilicity (D _H ) for characterizing the features of the organic matter in taiga soils. An increase in the content of the fractions of occluded organic matter and that bound to minerals (density of 1.6–2.2 g/cm³) has been observed in the eluvial horizons of a young cutover area.     

Population and biomass of microorganisms in soils of pyrogenic succession in the northern taiga pine forests

In the organic horizons of the Al-Fe-humus podzols under the old pine forests of the northern taiga, the biomass of all the groups of microorganisms, the length of the fungal and actinomycete mycelium, the number of fungal spores, and the bacterial population were maximal (13 mg/g) irrespectively of the stage of pyrogenic succession. The share of fungi (mainly, of basidiomycetes) exceeded 90%. In the mineral root-inhabited soil horizons, the biomass of microorganisms was not greater than 1.0 mg/g. The soil under the lichen pine forest had the smallest biomass of microorganisms as compared to the soil under the pine forests that were not exposed to fire for a long time. At all the stages of the pyrogenic succession, the most favorable conditions for the functioning of microorganisms were in the root-inhabited horizons of the soils in near-stem sites due to the accumulation of nutrients there. In the soils of these zones, the basidiomycete biomass was greater than that in the soils of the gaps. In the mineral soil horizons, buckleless micromycetes demonstrated the same trend. No distinct parcella differences, with respect to the soil nutrient regime, were found only for the prokaryotes. The fungi in the Al-Fe-humus podzols may be used as indicators for the pyrogenic succession stages of forest ecosystems. At the early stages, micromycetes without buckles prevailed, and, in the course of succession, the share of basidiomycetes clearly increased. The density and structure of mycorrhiza were tightly related to the nutrient regime of the soils. The increase in the concentration of available biogenic elements in the root-inhabited soil horizons did not cause the necessity of developing complex mycorrhiza forms.     

Microstructure of genetic horizons in automorphic soils of the Timan Ridge

Data are presented on the physicochemical composition and specific macro-, meso- and micro-morphological features of automorphic soils formed on silty loams in the northern and middle taiga subzones of the Timan Ridge. These soils have a texture-differentiated profile and are well aggregated, which is manifested at all levels of structural organization of the soil mass. The morphological structure of the middle soil horizons is characterized by the presence of specific nongleyed cryometamorphic horizon CRM. Its formation is due to the development of long-term seasonal cryogenic processes in relatively deep (up to 40 cm) light and medium loam deposits under conditions of the northern and middle taiga subzones. The processes of cryometamorphism, combined with Al-Fe-humus and textural differentiation, result in the formation of podzolic, iron-illuvial, cryometamorphic, and textural horizons (O-E-BF-CRM-BT). The textural horizons have a set of micromorphological features indicating that recent clay illuviation is a weak process.     

Soils and the soil cover of the taiga zone in the northern Urals (upper reaches of the Pechora River)

The territory in the upper reaches of the Pechora River is characterized by the predominance of Al-Fe-humus and metamorphic soils with gley features developing under the middle taiga fir-spruce forests rather than gley-podzolic soils as had been considered before. Some of the described soil profiles represent intergrades between brown taiga soils (burozems) and gleysols; these soils are absent in the new Russian soil classification system. General regularities of the soil cover are controlled by the geomorphic position of the soils on slopes and by the conditions of ground moistening and lateral soil water flows. The development of modern soil cover patterns is determined by the impact of herbaceous and woody vegetation, bioturbation of the soils by windfalls, the presence of dead tree trunks on the soil surface, and other factors.     

Concentrations of rare-earth elements in soils of the Prioksko-Terrasnyi state biospheric reserve

The concentrations of rare-earth elements were studied in the profiles of soddy podburs and mucky-humus gley soils. The soil horizons differed significantly in the contents of C_org (0?C26%), the physical clay (<0.01 mm) fraction (3?C31%), the acidity (pH 4 to 5.5), and the presence/absence of Al-Fe-humus accumulations. The most significant relationship was observed between the concentrations of rare-earth elements and the physical clay content, particularly for Nd: x(Nd, mg/kg) = 7 + 1.6y (fraction <0.01 mm, %). Weak biogenic accumulations in the upper horizons were observed for Nd, Ce, and Dy; Nd, Pr, and La accumulated in the Al-Fe-humus illuvial horizon. The concentrations of rare-earth elements in the studied soils formed the following sequence (mg/kg): Nd (20?C101)-Ce (10?C44)-La, Sm, Gd, Dy, Yb (3?C20)-Pr (1?C4)-Ho (0.1?C0.4)-Tm, Lu, and Tl (0.0). A clear trend was observed to higher contents of even-numbered elements as compared with odd-numbered elements, excluding La.     

Factors of the development of taiga and tundra soils with differentiation of Fe and Al oxides in the profile

Statistical data on the bulk contents of iron and aluminum oxides in iron-depleted and iron-enriched horizons of a wide range of taiga and tundra soils were compared. It was found that the soils could be arranged into the following sequence characterized by an increase in the relative contribution of iron oxides and a decrease in the relative contribution of aluminum oxides to the differentiation of sesquioxides in the soil profiles: sandy podzols—soddy-podzolic soils—loamy micropodzols and iron-illuvial svetlozems—cryogenic ferruginated gleyzems. It was concluded that the bleaching of eluvial horizons and the depletion of sesquioxides from them, as well as the accumulation of sesquioxides in the illuvial horizons, are controlled by different processes in different soils. In sandy podzols, the differentiation of sesquioxides is due to the Al-Fe-humus podzolization; in loamy micropodzols and iron-illuvial svetlozems, due to the redox-Al-Fe-humus podzolization; in podzolic and soddy-podzolic soils, due to the selective podzolization and lessivage; and, in cryogenic ferruginated gleyzems, due to the reduction-oxidation processes.     

Humus Horizons of Soils in Urban Ecosystems

The origin, structure, composition, and properties of soil humus horizons in functional zones of St. Petersburg have been studied. The radiocarbon age of organic matter in the humus horizons varies from 500 to 2700 years, which attests to the natural origin of humus. The structure of microbiomes in the humus horizons of soils under different plant communities has its specific features. The taxonomic structure of microbial communities at the phylum level reflects both genetic features of natural soils and the impact of anthropogenic factors, including alkalization typical of the studied urban soils. Tomographic studies have shown that the transporting system of humus horizons is less developed in the anthropogenically transformed soils in comparison with the natural soils. It can be supposed that the intensity of water and gas exchange in the anthropogenic soils is much lower than that in the natural soils. The fractional and group composition of humus in the urban soils is specified by the long-term pedogenesis, on one hand, and by the impact of metabolic products of the city and the factors of soil formation in the megalopolis, on the other hand. Bulk density of the humus horizon in the urban soils is higher than that in the natural soils; the portion of overcompacted humus horizons in the urban soils reaches 44%. Humus horizons of the lawns along highways are most contaminated with heavy metals: Pb, Zn, and Cu. There are no definite regularities in the distribution of major nutrients (NPK) in the humus horizons of anthropogenic soils.     

Genetic features of soils on sorted sand deposits of different origins in the Kola Peninsula

Differences in the chemical composition of soils developed from sorted sands of different origins are revealed. The iron-illuvial podzols on rich glaciofluvial and marine sands are characterized by well-pronounced Al-Fe-humus differentiation of the Si, Al, and Fe in the soil profile. These soils are relatively similar in their bulk elemental composition. The difference between them is seen in the degree of differentiation of the soil profiles; it is stronger in the soils developed from glaciofluvial deposits. This is particularly true with respect to the oxalate-soluble iron and aluminum hydroxides. The deposits derived from the red-colored Tersk sandstone and processed by the sea (in the coastal zone of the White Sea) have the poorest chemical composition. In the soils developed from them, the differentiation of oxalate-soluble compounds is slightly pronounced (for Fe) or completely absent (for Si and Al). These soils can be classified as podzolized ferruginous red-colored psammozems (within the order of poorly developed soils) with the following horizons: O-Ce-Cf-C. The Ce horizon has the features of podzolization, and the Cf horizon has some features attesting to the illuvial accumulation of Fe. The profile of these soils inherits a reddish tint from the parent material.     

Assessment of Soil Water Composition in the Northern Taiga Coniferous Forests of Background Territories in the Industrially Developed Region

The composition of soil water under coniferous forests of Murmansk oblast—an industrially developed region of northern Russia—was investigated. The studied objects were dwarf-shrub–green-moss spruce forests and dwarf-shrub–lichen pine forests on Al-Fe-humus podzols (Albic Rustic Podzols) that are widespread in the boreal zone. The concentrations and removal of organic carbon performing the most important biogeochemical and pedogenic functions were estimated. The results proved significant intra- and inter-biogeocenotic variability in the composition of atmospheric depositions and soil water. Carbon removal with soil water from organic and mineral horizons within elementary biogeoareas (EBGA) under tree crowns was 2–5 and 2–3 times (in some cases, up to 10 times) greater than that in the intercrown areas, respectively. The lowest critical level of mineral nitrogen (0.2 mg/L) was, as a rule, exceeded in tree EBGAs contrary to intercrown areas. Concentrations of sulfates and heavy metals in water of tree EBGA were 3–5 times greater than those in inter-crown areas. Significant inter-biogeocenotic variations related to differences in the height of trees and tree stand density were found. It is argued that adequate characterization of biochemical cycles and assessment of critical levels of components in soil water of forest ecosystems should be performed with due account for the intra- and inter-biogeocenotic variability.     

Zonal,provincial, lithological,and geomorphic features of soil salinization in the Southern federal okrug of Russia

The relationships between soil salinization and the zonal and provincial bioclimatic conditions, the lithological composition of the sediments, and the geomorphic features of the territory have been analyzed for the Southern federal okrug of Russia. It is shown that the lithological and geomorphic conditions (relief, salinity of parent materials, degree of drainage, and the depth of saline groundwater) play an important role in the distribution of salt-affected soils against the background of the more general regularities specified by the climate. The participation of salt-affected soils in the soil cover of the Southern federal okrug increases in the eastward direction from the forest-steppe zone to the semidesert zone in agreement with an increase in the aridity and continentality of the climate. The chemical composition of soil salts also changes: the sulfate and soda-sulfate types predominate in the forest-steppe zone; the sulfate type or the sulfate type with the participation of soda, in the steppe zone; the sulfate-chloride type, in the dry steppe zone; and the chloride type, in the semidesert zone. The lithological and geomorphic conditions within the particular zones and provinces affect the distribution pattern of the salt-affected soils and the degree and chemistry of the soil salinization. The areas of salt-affected soils were calculated with the use of a digital version of the Map of Salt-Affected Soils of Russia (1: 2.5 M scale) with due account for the participation of these soils in the soil cover of the particular delineations and the data on the depth of the upper boundary of the salt-bearing horizons, the degree and chemistry of the soil salinization, and the area of solonetzes and solonetzic soils.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in background podzolic and gleyic peat-podzolic soils

The qualitative and quantitative composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been determined in the background podzolic and gleyic peat-podzolic soils of the middle and northern taiga zones of northeastern Europe using the methods of highly efficient liquid chromatography and chromato-mass spectrometry. The distribution of polyarenes in the soil profiles follows the eluvial-illuvial pattern. Organic and illuvial horizons are the biogeochemical barriers for PAHs migrating in the soils. The revealed regularities of the accumulation and redistribution of PAHs in the soil profiles are in agreement with the character of the soil-forming processes in the northern and middle taiga zones.     

Soil development on the Crimean Peninsula in the Late Holocene

The study of soils of different ages in different physiographic regions of the Crimean Peninsula made it possible to reveal the main regularities of pedogenesis in the Late Holocene (in the past 2800 years). With respect to the average rate of the development of soil humus horizons, the main types of soils in the studied region were arranged into the following sequence: southern chernozems and dark chestnut soils > mountainous forest brown soils > gravelly cinnamonic soils. In the newly formed soils, the accumulation of humus developed at a higher rate than the increase in the thickness of humus horizons. A sharp decrease in the rates of development of soil humus profiles and humus accumulation took place in the soils with the age of 1100-1200 years. The possibility for assessing the impact of climate changes on the pedogenetic process on the basis of instrumental meteorological data was shown. The potential centennial fluctuations of the climate in the Holocene determined the possibility of pulsating shifts of soil-geographic subzones within the steppe part of the Crimea with considerable changes in the rates of the development of soil humus horizons in comparison with those in the Late Holocene.     

河南省典型土系的特定土层特征与分类研究

根据土壤发生学理论,在土壤景观相似的土壤中(如相同母质、相似气候、相同地形以及相似的植物类型和动物活动),土壤的属性具有相似性;然而由于地理环境中复杂的成土因素的影响,土壤绝无完全相同的土壤个体。在划分土壤地理发生分类基层单元土种和系统分类基层单元土系时,特定土层被用于反映土体构型差异。但特定土层类型多样,目前尚处于模糊状态,随着土系划分研究的深入,有必要对其进行分门别类与归纳整理。本文以河南省典型土系为例,梳理和总结了土系划分时涉及的主要特定土层,从特定土层形成根源上将其分为现代成土环境下土壤发生过程形成的、地质成因或地质时期土壤环境下发育形成的和人类活动产生的三个类型,并提出了基于土系概念的特定土层分类与检索体系,旨在使特定土层的概念更为系统、全面、开放,以便于使用。     

Mineralization of soil organic matter initiated by the application of an available substrate to the profiles of surface and buried podzolic soils

The priming effect (PE) initiated by the application of ¹⁴C-glucose was studied for copiotrophic microbial communities of organic horizons and for oligotrophic microbial communities of mineral soil horizons, as well as for mineral horizons of buried soils depleted in the input of fresh organic matter. The intensity of the PE depended on the reserves of C_org, the initial amount of the microbial biomass, and the enzymatic activity, which decreased from the organic to the mineral soil horizons. The ratio of the PE to the applied carbon was two times higher in the mineral horizons as compared with the organic horizons. This is explained by the predominance of K-strategists capable of decomposing difficultly available organic compounds in the mineral horizons, so that the turnover of the microbial biomass in the mineral horizons was more active than that in the organic horizons. The predominance of K-strategists was confirmed by the close correlation between the PE and the activity of the cellobiohydrolase enzyme decomposing cellulose (R = 0.96). In general, the absolute value of the PE was controlled by the soil organic matter content, whereas the specific PE was controlled by the functional features of the microorganisms. It was shown that the functional features of the soil microorganisms remained unchanged under the conditions of their preservation in the buried soil.     

The calculation of base cation release from the chemical weathering of Scottish soils using the profile model

To investigate the weathering rates of different soil parent materials which occur in Scotland, a study has been undertaken in which detailed soil mineralogy has been used to calculate base cation release. To calculate base cation release, this data, and supplementary soil chemistry and physical attribute data, have provided the input to the PROFILE model. The model is a multi-layer, steady state, deterministic model in which the soil is represented by a series of mixed tank reactors, each of which has the mineralogical, physical and chemical attributes measured for individual soil horizons. The major parent materials from which Scottish soils have developed are glacial till, derived from acid to basic igneous rocks, schist and other metamorphic types, Lower Palaeozoic greywackes and shales, Old Red Sandstone sediments, Carboniferous sediments and Permo-Trias sediments. For each of the parent materials, three soil profiles were analysed and used with the PROFILE model. The base cation release rates, calculated for these parent materials in the top 50cm of the soil profile, varies between 0.2 and 3.2 keq/ha/yr, although, for a given parent material, the range was usually quite small. In general, these results compare very favourably with those suggested for the calculation of critical loads using an empirical approach proposed at Skokloster. In comparison with current rates of deposition, this suggests many of these soils are being acidified and that for many soil-plant combinations, the critical load may be exceeded.     

Hydromorphism and Al-Fe-humus pedogenesis on sandy parent materials in the Kola Peninsula

Al-Fe-humus podzols developed from sandy materials of continental and marine origins can be arranged into the following sequence with respect to the degree of soil hydromorphism: iron-illuvial podzols—humus-illuvial podzols—dark (high-humus) humus-illuvial podzols—peat podzols. These soils do not differ much in their particle-size distribution and bulk elemental composition. The most informative indices reflecting the effect of soil hydromorphism are the contents of oxalate-extractable iron and aluminum compounds and the contents and composition of the soil organic matter.     

Composition and structure of aggregates from compacted soil horizons in the southern steppe zone of European Russia

The composition and structure of aggregates from different agrogenic soils in the southern steppe zone of European Russia have been studied. It is shown that the multi-level study (from the macro- to microlevel) of these horizons makes it possible to identify soil compaction caused by different elementary soil processes: solonetz-forming, vertisol-forming, and mechanical (wheel) compaction in the rainfed and irrigated soils. The understanding of the genesis of the compaction of soil horizons (natural or anthropogenic) is important for the economic evaluation of soil degradation. It should enable us to make more exact predictions of the rates of degradation processes and undertake adequate mitigation measures. The combined tomographic and micromorphological studies of aggregates of 1–2 and 3–5 mm in diameter from compacted horizons of different soils have been performed for the first time. Additional diagnostic features of negative solonetz- forming processes (low open porosity of aggregates seen on tomograms and filling of a considerable part of the intraped pores with mobile substance) and the vertisol-forming processes (large amount of fine intraaggregate pores seen on tomograms and a virtual absence of humus–clay plasma in the intraped zone)—have been identified. It is shown that the combination of microtomographic and micromorphological methods is helpful for studying the pore space of compacted horizons in cultivated soils.     

Specific features of the structure of microbial biomass in soils of annular mesodepressions in Lipetsk and Volgograd oblasts

In the studied mesodepressions, the total microbial biomass in the gray forest and chernozemic soils decreases by two-three times under the impact of hydrogen flux from the subsoil horizons and soil waterlogging. The biomass decrease is especially pronounced in the lower soil horizons. The population density of bacteria in the soil samples subjected to the impact of hydrogen fluxes and temporary waterlogging decreases by two-three times in the upper horizons and by ten times in the lower horizons in comparison with that in the control samples. These factors also affect the length of fungal mycelium: it decreases by three-four times in the upper horizons and may completely disappear in the lower horizons. The reduction of the microbial biomass can be explained by the fact that hydrogen and waterlogging sharply decrease the soil redox potential, which retards the development of most microbes, except for methanogens and some other specialized groups of microorganisms. The domination of bacteria with diameter ≥0.23 and ≥0.38 μm and the decrease in the total number of bacteria have been found with the use of the cascade filtration method.     

ABSTRACT of the Articles Printed in Journal of the Science of Soil and Manure,Japan

A contrasting occurrence of clay minerals was found within a soil profile which was derived from volcanic materials in the suburbs of Fukuoka-city, Northern Kyushu. The soil profile is located on an isolated terrace, and the morphological characteristics of the soil correspond exactly to Andosols, so-called Kuroboku soils or Humic Allophane soils.

The clay fraction of upper horizons of the soil consists largely of alumina-rich gel-like materials, gibbsite, and layer silicates such as chlorite and chloritevermiculite intergrades, while that of lower horizons is composed of allophane and gibbsite or halloysite. There was no positive indication of allophane in the upper horizons. Corresponding with the clay mineralogical composition, quartz is abundant in the fine sand fraction of the upper horizons, while the mineral is very scarce or none in the lower horizons, suggesting a close relation between the petrological nature of parent volcanic materials and the mineralogical composition of weathering products. The dominant clay mineral in the volcanic 1.10il might be dependent on the petrological nature of parent materials, and allophane is mostly formed from andesitic materials, and alumina-rich gel-like materials and layer silicates have come from quartz andesitic materials. Allophane would transform to gibbsite or halloysite according to weathering conditions, and aluminarich gel-like materials change to gibbsite under a well-drained condition.

The soil materials have been so greatly weathered that some horizons contain gibbsite of even more than 40 per cent or halloysite over 70 per cent. The morphology and mineralogy are quite similar to so-cailed “non-volcanic Kuroboku soils.”