Dynamics of vegetable substance reserves and phases of post-technogenous soil formation

A complex of factors determined by technogenesisconditions natural forming of soil and vegetative cover in technogenic landscapes. In self-regenerating ecosystems the process of soiland vegetative community transformation is syngenetic. The initial phase of post-technogenous soil formation is diagnosed by the pioneergrouping on initial embryonic soil; the dynamic phase of soil formation - by a simple plant grouping on organic-accumulative embryonicsoil; it transforms into the complex plant grouping on caespitose embryonic soil. The metastable phase of soil formation is diagnosedby the existing grouping on humus-accumulative embryonic soil. Peculiarities of soil and biological processes can be characterizedby vegetable substance dynamics observation. Overground vegetable substance (green phytomass, dead grass, ground litter) wascalculated from cuts (1m2); to determine the amount of underground phytomass, soil monoliths were cradled and roots were singularised.Differently aged self-overgrowing coal damps of Kuzbass (southern forest-steppe) were chosen as objects of research. The initialstage is diagnosed by predominance of single ruderal types of pioneer groupings with low projective cover and initial embryonic soilswith no organic bedrocks. Young species with tap root system predominate in groupings. They are not able to reproduce themselves asecond time during one vegetative period that is why the common reserve of vegetable substance grows on overground parts of plants. Adiagnostic sign of transition from the initial stage to the dynamic stage of evolution is the accumulation of ground litter - the first organicbedrock (A0) in the cross section of embryonic soils, which is formed by grassy polycarpic plants giving much overground phytomass.This phytomass in time will transform into mortmass. Further settling of mesophilic polycarpic short- and long-root pratal,pratal-hylile species helps to bind the upper layer of soil by a complicated root system and to form distinct sod in soil cross section.(A0+AД). This species predetermine changing vegetative grouping succession to the next stage, and embryonic soils to the sodphase of soil formation. Conversion to the stage of a closed community is diagnosed by the humus-accumulative horizon in soil crosssection (A0+AД+А1). Common substance reserve is 20 times bigger than at the initial stage and from 9 to 1,4 times bigger than at thedynamic stage. A bigger part of reserves (85%) of vegetative groupings is in the underground part, the other (15%) reserves are in theoverground part. The existing groupings are predominantly formed at horizontal surfaces with relatively propitious ecological conditions.

Keywords

Authors

References