Microbial communities of alluvial soils in the Volga River delta

The number and biomass of the microbial community in the upper humus horizon (0–20 cm) were determined in the main types of alluvial soils (mucky gley, desertified soddy calcareous, hydrometamorphic dark-humus soils) in the Volga River delta. Fungal mycelium and alga cells predominate in the biomass of the microorganisms (35–50% and 30–47%, respectively). The proportion of prokaryotes in the microbial biomass of the alluvial soils amounts to 2–6%. No significant seasonal dynamics in the number and biomass of microorganisms were revealed in the alluvial soils. The share of carbon of the microbial biomass in the total carbon content of the soil organic matter is 1.4–2.3% in the spring. High coefficients of microbial mineralization and oligotrophy characterize the processes of organic matter decomposition in the alluvial soils of the mucky gley, desertified soddy calcareous, and hydrometamorphic dark humus soil types.     

Genetic specificity and geography of taiga soils in the central part of the Baikal region

A specific feature of the development of automorphic taiga soils in the Baikal region is the lack of correspondence between the weak intensity of the soil chemical weathering and the high intensity of the removal of alkaline-earth elements from the soil profile in the form of suspensions. The loss of the clay fraction affects the water-physical properties of these soils and their temperature regime. The areas of different soil types in the northern and middle taiga zones have been calculated on the basis of soil maps of different scales. It is shown that podburs and acid soddy taiga soils predominate in these zones; the area of podzols, which were previously considered to be the dominant soil type in the middle and southern taiga zones, is smaller.     

Soil formation in the technogenic forest-steppe landscapes of the Nazarovskaya Depression in western Siberia

The soil formation was studied in the 21- to 35-year-old pine plantations created on the overburden dumps of the Nazarovskaya Depression without applying the material of the humus horizon. The surface technogenic formations under the pine plantations belong to the group of naturfabricats (surface formations devoid of the humus horizon and composed of natural substrate). The morphological characteristics, bulk chemical and particle-size compositions, and labile properties of the soils indicate that the accumulation and transformation of organic matter are dominant processes in the artificially planted forests. The accumulation of organic residues and destruction and humification are tightly related to the environmental conditions transformed by the technogenesis and conceal other processes forming the soil profiles. Quasizems created for agricultural production purposes were the objects of the study. They were formed by covering the technically planned overburden rocks with the material of humus layers. The thickness of the humus horizons of the quasizems varies greatly (25–64%); the variation of the humus reserves in them is 34–122%. Middle-profile horizons have not been formed by the present time.     

Humus status of soils of overgrown quarries in Leningrad oblast

The humus status of young different-aged soils developed on tailings of different quarries of Quaternary and pre-Quaternary raw materials in Leningrad oblast was studied. Organic profiles were characterized; the humus accumulation rates, the organic matter reserves, the humus enrichment with nitrogen, the degree of humification of the organic matter, and the contents of separate fractions of humus acid in soils on different tailing rocks were estimated. The composition of humic acids was also studied. It was shown that the lithological features of the tailings determining the chemical processes of the profile differentiation of humic substances and the ecogenetic successions of vegetation also determine the rate and direction of the humus accumulation in the soils during similar periods of biological activity in the southern taiga.     

Agrochemical and microbiological properties of technogenic soils on dumps in the Kansk-Rybinsk Depression

The agrochemical properties and microbiological activity of the soils on dump rocks of different ages and degrees of cultivation in the area of the Borodinsk coal strip mine were studied. The technogenic soils of the dumps significantly differed from the native soils in their total nitrogen content. In the young soils (less than 5 years old), the total nitrogen was present in trace amounts; in the 20-year-old dumps, its content was lower than in the control soils by 2.5 times. It was found that a humus horizon 2–3 cm thick was formed on the surface of the dumps after 20 years regardless of the reclamation practice and that the intensity of the biological processes was comparable to that in the control soils, because the microbial complexes functioned under conditions typical for automorphic soils. It was shown that the ecophysiological status of the 3- to 10-year-old soils was unstable and their microbocenoses were at the development stage.     

Mountainous meadow chernozem-like soils of high mountains in the North Caucasus region

Original and literature data on the soil-forming conditions and the morphology, physicochemical properties, and bulk chemical and mineralogical composition of mountainous meadow chernozem-like soils of the North Caucasus region indicate that these soils are developed from the coarse-textured pebbly colluvium of calcareous bedrock under the impact of humus accumulation and clay formation. The intensity of these processes is directly related to the activity of soil biota. Suggestions aimed at improving the classification of high-mountain soils are discussed.     

Soils on overburden dumps in the forest-steppe and mountain taiga zones of the Kuzbass

The properties of the soils forming on coal dumps significantly depend on the properties of the parent rocks and the technology of creating the dumps. In the forest-steppe and mountain taiga zones of the Kuznetsk Coal Basin, argillites, siltstones, and sandstones are the overburden and enclosing rocks. They are responsible for the alkaline reaction and the same microelement composition in almost all the soils studied. The nonselective formation of the dumps and the predominance of the coarse fraction in the rocks composing the dumps is a cause of the wide distribution of petrozems and humus petrozems on their surface. The presence of a great amount of coal particles in the substrates and the incorrect planning of the dumps may be the reasons for their self-ignition, which can change the composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils of the dumps.     

Specific features of soil formation in the taiga zone of Western Siberia

Specific features of soil formation in the taiga zone of Western Siberia are considered. The polygenetic nature of podzolic and gley-podzolic soils in the middle taiga zone, soddy-podzolic and soddy gley soils in the southern taiga zone, and meadow soils in the subtaiga zone is related to the pre-Holocene transformation of the lithogenic matrix upon activation of denudation and accumulation processes and the complicated Holocene evolution of these soils. A soil profile can be subdivided into separate layers according to the geomorphic features of the cryogenesis, the indices of interruption of soil formation, and the differences in the composition of the organic matter in the relict and modern humus horizons.     

Evolution of the soil humus status on the calcareous Neogene clay dumps of the Sokolov quarry complex in the Czech Republic

The development of the soil profile and the humus substance system was described for two chronosequences of soil restoration on the Neogene clay dumps. The chronosequences differed in the restoration type of vegetation: self-overgrowing or overgrowing intensified by planting tree seedlings (rehabilitation). It was found that the regeneration rates of the soil and humus profile were much higher in the case of the land rehabilitation than during the self-overgrowing of the dumps. The acceleration of the ecogenetic succession and the symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the soils of the plots with seedlings planted resulted in the accumulation of humus and nitrogen and increased the degree of organic matter humification. The enrichment of the organic matter in nitrogen and its increased input were the main reasons for the more intense humification under the rehabilitation conditions.     

Soil cover patterns in the Dzhida Depression and their representation on the soil map of 1: 500000 scale

A map of the soil cover patterns in the Dzhida Depression (Baikal region) has been compiled on a scale of 1: 500 000. The grouping of the soil cover patterns into larger categories makes it possible to retain the information contained on large-scale soil maps upon their generalization to the small-scale soil map. The latter displays the regularities of soil distribution at the levels of soil types and subtypes. The areas of the major soil groups have been calculated. It is shown that podburs predominate in the northern taiga ecosystems (72%), whereas acid soddy taiga soils (71%) and podburs (22%) predominate in the middle taiga zone. Minor areas in these zones are occupied by podzolic soils (9%) and permafrost-affected taiga gley soils (14%).     

Mountainous meadow-steppe soils in high mountains of the Eastern Caucasus region

The results of comprehensive investigations into the soil-forming conditions, morphology, substantive composition, physicochemical properties, bulk elemental composition, and mineralogy of mountainous meadow-steppe soils of the Eastern Caucasus region are discussed. The analysis of the obtained and published data has shown that the formation of these soils takes place in a relatively arid high-mountain environment from the coarse-textured eluvium of noncalcareous rocks. Two major pedogenetic processes with the participation of soil biota—humus accumulation and argillization—are responsible for their origin. Suggestions for improving the classification of mountainous meadow-steppe soils are given.     

Water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids in automorphic loamy soils of the tundra and taiga zones

The formation features of water-soluble low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOAs) in a zonal series of automorphic soils on loose silicate rocks from the middle taiga to the southern tundra (typical podzolic, gley-podzolic, and surface-gley tundra soils) were first revealed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry and gas-liquid chromatography. The content of LMWOAs varies within the range of 1–14 mg/dm³, which corresponds to 1–5% of the total carbon of the water-soluble soil organic matter. It has been shown that a subzonal feature of gley-podzolic soils in the northern taiga is the high content of LMWOAs, including primarily the strongest aliphatic hydroxyl acids. Possible mechanisms of their formation and accumulation in soils have been considered.     

Altitudinal distribution of soil fauna in the Khibiny Massif

Data on the taxonomic and trophic composition, population density, and biomass of invertebrates in the soils of the main mountain vegetation zones of the Khibiny Mountains—taiga, subalpine, and alpine—are obtained. The degree of similarity between soil faunal complexes in different vegetation zones within the studied slope is higher than that between zonal biocenoses of Murmansk oblast. The mountain tundra zone differs from the zonal tundra in a higher population density and taxonomic diversity of invertebrates, which are similar to those in the northern taiga podzols. At the same time, invertebrate complexes in the mountain taiga zone are poorer than those in the zonal plain taiga soils. The analysis of invertebrate taxa present in all the studied mountain vegetation zones demonstrates similar effects of the altitudinal and latitudinal zonality on the species composition of invertebrates. A conclusion is made about a higher functional activity of saprotrophs in the high-humus soils enriched in biogenic elements of the Khibiny Mountains in comparison with the functional activity of saprotrophs in the zonal plain podzols.     

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.     

Fungal and bacterial recolonisation of acid and alkaline forest soils following artificial heat treatments

The direct response and the short-term recolonisation of soil by fungi and bacteria were studied after heat treatments of a humus soil with high carbon content and low pH, and a calcareous soil with lower carbon content and high pH. Heating was administered using a muffle furnace or an autoclave, with different temperatures and times of heat exposure, after which fresh soil (1%) was added as inoculum. Autoclaved soil showed more marked increases in bacterial growth during the recovery phase than oven-heated soil, and the bacterial growth response was more rapid in calcareous than in humus soil. Fungal growth recovered more rapid and reached values higher than the control in humus soil, while it remained low until the end of the study in calcareous soil. Respiration rate showed similar patterns in both soils. Fungal biomass (ergosterol and PLFA 18:2ω6,9) indicated that fungi benefited by autoclaving in humus soil, while they were disfavoured by this treatment in calcareous soil. The sum of bacterial PLFAs did not change due to heating, but some bacterial PLFAs (e.g. cy17:0) increased in both soils. We propose that the community assembly of the microbial communities after heating were mainly driven by pH, in that the high pH soil selected primarily for bacteria and the low pH soil for fungi.     

喀斯特山区不同母质(岩)发育的土壤主要理化性质差异性分析

在贵阳市乌当区采集了白云岩、石灰岩、钙质紫色砂页岩等9种母质(岩)上发育的土壤样品763个,分别进行了土壤主要理化性质的测定和差异性分析。结果表明不同母质(岩)发育的土壤理化性质具有很大的差异:红色粘土、老风化壳和页岩上发育的土壤pH值均为酸性至强酸性,有机质和CEC含量中等,土壤质地较粘重;石灰岩、白云岩和钙质紫色砂页岩上发育的土壤pH值为中性至微碱性,有机质和CEC含量较高,质地较为适中;砂页岩和河流冲积物上发育的土壤pH值为酸性至中性,其余理化性质为中等水平;砂岩发育的土壤pH值为强酸性,其余理化性质均较差。     

Multiple assessment of the soil cover in the area of natural monuments Tra-Tau and Yurak-Tau monadnocks under conditions of technogenic loads

The soil cover of Tra-Tau and Yurak-Tau shikhans (monadnocks) has been examined. Leached and typical medium-deep chernozems are developed on colluvial fans on the footslopes and on the lower parts of slopes, whereas typical calcareous thin slightly and moderately gravelly chernozems are developed on the upper and medium parts of slopes. The leached and typical chernozems of the footslopes correspond to zonal soils of the adjacent plain areas, though they have some specific features related to the local topographic conditions. These soils are somewhat thinner than plain chernozems and are characterized by the perfect granular water-stable structure, the high content of humus of the humate type, the high content of exchangeable cations, strong acid-base buffering, and high enzymatic activity. These features predetermine their high tolerance towards technogenic impacts. The concentrations of highly hazardous substances of the first toxicity class (mercury, arsenic, lead, and cadmium) and of moderately hazardous substances of the second toxicity class (copper, zinc, and nickel), as well as the concentrations of low-hazardous elements (manganese and iron) in these soils do not exceed provisional maximum permissible concentrations of these substances in soils irrespectively of the slope aspect. No changes in the physicochemical and biological properties of the soils under the impact of technogenic loads from Sterlitamak industrial center have been identified.     

Dynamics of Soil Properties and Plant Composition during Postagrogenic Evolution in Different Bioclimatic Zones

The postagrogenic dynamics of acidity and some parameters of humus status have been studied in relation to the restoration of zonal vegetation in southern taiga (podzolic and soddy-podzolic soils (Retisols)), coniferous-broadleaved (subtaiga) forest (gray forest soil (Luvic Phaeozem)), and forest-steppe (gray forest soil (Haplic Phaeozem)) subzones. The most significant transformation of the studied properties of soils under changing vegetation has been revealed for poor sandy soils of southern taiga. The degree of changes in the content and stocks of organic carbon, the enrichment of humus in nitrogen, and acidity in the 0- to 20-cm soil layer during the postagrogenic evolution decreases from north to south. The adequate reflection of soil physicochemical properties in changes of plant cover is determined by the climatic zone and the land use pattern. A correlation between the changes in the soil acidity and the portion of acidophilic species in the plant cover is revealed for the southern taiga subzone. A positive relationship is found between the content of organic carbon and the share of species preferring humus-rich soils in the forest-steppe zone.     

Soils with complex organic profiles on the Vasyugan Plain

Soils with intricate patterns of their humus profiles developing in the neutral-calcium landscapes of the southern taiga of Western Siberia under highly dynamic paleogeographic, climatic, and weather conditions are characterized. The specific features of these soils comprise the diverse modern humus horizons along with the relic ones of different preservation rates, shallow leaching of carbonates, and a weak development of the middle-profile soil horizons. Specifying these organo-accumulative soils is substantiated by their high humus content against the geochemical background of the clayey calcareous parent rocks. The conjugated series of soils reflect different stages of the soil evolution (the humus profile degradation, the development of eluvial process, and the increase of contrasts in the acid-base conditions) and the hydromorphic transformation accompanied by the formation of organic horizons making the humus profile more complicated. In accordance with the diagnostic horizons, the position of the soils studied was determined in the Classification and Diagnostics of Soils of Russia. The relic enrichment of the humus horizon is proposed to be used as a specific feature of these 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.