Condition of the Soil Fauna near the Epicenter of an Underground Nuclear Explosion in the Northern Urals

Radioactive contamination affects soil organisms and causes profound structural rearrangements in soil zoocenoses, which are manifested in the decreased species diversity of invertebrate communities and low relative abundance of large soil invertebrates. However, these communities gradually recover their initial structure. The soil biota near the epicenter of an underground nuclear explosion performed 30 years ago in Perm oblast has been studied to reveal specific structural features of the soil macro- and microfauna. Its structural diversity is considered with regard to such components as species (taxonomic) composition, the structure of dominance, and the ratio of ecological and trophic groups.__________Translated from Ekologiya, No. 3, 2005, pp. 171–179.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kolesnikova, Taskaeva, Krivolutskii, Taskaev.     

Distribution of Fine Roots of Coniferous Trees over the Soil Profile under Conditions of Pollution by Emissions from a Copper-Smelting Plant

The distribution of fine conducting roots of Siberian spruce, Siberian fir, and Scotch pine over the soil profile was studied in the taiga ecosystems polluted with heavy metals and SO₂. Under conditions of heavy pollution, tree roots were not found in the forest litter. Regardless of the level of technogenic load, the largest amount of conducting roots concentrated in the upper layer of mineral soil.     

Poverty and the Deterioration of Natural Soil Capital in the Peruvian Altiplano

The Peruvian altiplano is a marginal agricultural region with limited infrastructure, climate constraints, and high levels of poverty. Data were collected from 265 farms in four different agricultural regions, and data from three of those regions are analyzed here. Regressions were run with soil nutrient loss, soil depth loss, and yield loss over the past 20 years, as perceived by farmers. Location, topographical and management factors were considered. Additional regressions were run to examine the determinants of two agricultural management practices which were found to affect soil quality, namely fallowing and ploughing vertical furrows. Use of traditional fallowing (aynoca) was associated with helping to preserve soil quality, and was practiced by households with more education, with higher non-farm income, and in villages which had benefitted from natural resource development projects. Vertical furrowing similarly was associated with helping preserve soil quality, and was practiced by households with fewer unmet basic needs. These results have implications for the agricultural and development strategies to be followed in the region.     

Soil Fertility Quality and Agricultural Sustainable Development in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China

The black soil in northeast China is considered one of the most fertile soils in China. Consequently, the black soil region has become one of the most important regions for cereal grain production in China. Agriculture has developed rapidly since the early part of the nineteenth century. To date, approximately 70 percent of total land in the area is cultivated. Even though the agricultural production in this region is increasing continuously, some soil fertility quality problems have become serious. This is hampering agricultural development and sustainability in the region. A brief history of population growth and agricultural development in the region is presented. Major soil quality problems, particularly soil degradation and soil erosion, are analyzed. Based on studies, suggestions for improving soil quality and for promoting sustainable agricultural development in the region are presented. These suggestions include improving agricultural landscape patterns, developing conservation cultivation, promoting combinations of crop production with combinations of forestry and animal husbandry, and implementing integrated management for soil and water conservation.     

江西庐山自然保护区主要森林植被水土保持功能评价

随着环境压力的与日俱增以及森林过度采伐带来的生态危机的加剧,森林生态系统控制水土流失与涵养水源功能的量化及机理研究已成为各国生态学家、林学家、水土保持学家共同关注的课题。以江西庐山自然保护区的6种主要森林植被为研究对象,基于野外调查和室内实验获取的相关数据,采用层次分析法,选取郁闭度、丰富度指数、土壤容重、毛管孔隙度、土壤稳渗速率、枯落物储量、枯落物分解强度、海拔、坡度等15个指标构建多层次多指标的水土保持功能评价体系,根据层次总排序结果,分别计算出各指标的权重,并利用线型评分函数求出各森林植被类型水土保持功能的综合评价值,即6种主要森林植被类型水土保持功能排序为:常绿阔叶林玉山竹林常绿-落叶阔叶混交林落叶阔叶林黄山松林马尾松林。     

Climatic signal in radial increment of conifers in forest-steppe of southern Siberia and its dependence on local growing conditions

Radial increments have been studied in Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in the forest-steppe zone of southern Siberia in areas with different landscapes and levels of soil moisture supply but uniform climatic conditions. It has been shown that the radial increment significantly depends on climatic factors, primarily temperatures in April to July and September, sums of precipitation in April to July and September to November, and hydrothermal coefficient in May. The climatiC response in the wood of conifers in the forest-steppe zone differs depending on their species-specific features and local growing conditions.     

The necessary amount of sampling for census and assessing the taxonomic diversity of large soil invertebrates in different geographic zones

An analysis of the spatial distribution of large soil invertebrates at the “study point” level in three forest soils of the European part of the Russian Federation has demonstrated that the number of 76-cm² soil cores necessary for obtaining representative data varies from 25 to 35. To estimate taxonomic diversity in peaty, soddy podzolic, and brown forest soils, 100–110, 70–80, and 90–100 soil cores, respectively, are required. Differences in the necessary number of cores of different forest soils are accounted for by differences in the distribution pattern of soil animals.     

Trophic specificity of theRana arvalis population from the eastern ural radioactive trace in relation to the state of the soil mesofauna

Studies on the population ofRana arvalis Nilss. frogs performed in the radioactively contaminated area near Lake Berdanish in 1993 revealed a number of features indicating that the contents of nutrients in the organisms of adults and juveniles is low. The analysis of simultaneously collected data on food supply to this population showed that the structure of food chains in the study area is simplified and the diversity and biomass of soil invertebrates (the main food for amphibians) are sharply reduced. These factors account for food deficiency, which manifests itself in a low level of stomach filling and individual energy reserves of the frogs and is reflected in their population characteristics.     

Tree Ontogeny and Its Reflection in the Structure and Dynamics of Plant and Soil Covers

Based on the results of our own long-term experiments and the analysis of published data, the process of individual development (ontogeny) of trees and the parameters of ontogenetic stages are described. Changes in the environment-forming (edificatory) role of a tree in the course of ontogeny and upon its completion are characterized. The performance of this role leads to the formation of the following components of biogeocenosis heterogeneity: phytogenic fields of trees, gaps in the tree canopy, and windfall–soil complexes. The data concerning the interrelation of structural transformations of the plant and soil covers in the course of forest vegetation and soil formation on the primary substrate are reviewed.     

Soil Erosion: A Food and Environmental Threat

Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental and public health problems facing human society. Humans obtain more than 99.7% of their food (calories) from the land and less than 0.3% from the oceans and other aquatic ecosystems. Each year about 10 million ha of cropland are lost due to soil erosion, thus reducing the cropland available for food production. The loss of cropland is a serious problem because the World Health Organization reports that more than 3.7 billion people are malnourished in the world. Overall soil is being lost from land areas 10 to 40 times faster than the rate of soil renewal imperiling future human food security and environmental quality.     

Biodiversity of plants and soils in landscapes adjacent to the Buzuluk Pine Forest

The influence of the Buzuluk Pine Forest on biodiversity of plants and soil properties in adjacent territories has been studied. The results show that in the immediate vicinity of the pine forest, under the influence of the relatively mild and humid mesoclimate, natural phytocenoses are dominated by mesophytic species. Biodiversity reaches a peak at a distance of 17–18 km from the forest, which is explained by the presence of both mesophytes and xerophytes in the same phytocenosis. The same zone is also characterized by the maximum diversity of soil properties and structural complexity of the soil cover. Grass communities on ordinary chernozems with a homogeneous soil cover, typical of the steppe zone, are formed at greater distances from the forest.     

Specific Features of the Formation of Animal Species Communities in Technogenic and Urbanized Landscapes

The formation of the species composition and specific functional, physiological, and phenotypic features of populations in technogenic and urbanized areas was studied by analyzing murine rodents, amphibians, and soil invertebrates. It is shown that, against the background of decreasing total abundance and biomass of animals, their formerly continuous ranges become mosaic, with the locally increasing animal density and heterogeneity and specific population dynamics. Species diversity decreases; however, species alien to the natural ecosystems of the given territory appear. Changes in the strategies of reproduction and food resource use were revealed in the species communities of small mammals and amphibians.     

Differences in responses of herpetobionts and geobionts to impact from the Kosogorsky Metallurgical Plant (Tula region,Russia)

The influence of the Kosogorsky Metallurgical Plant (KMP; Tula region, Russia) on the abundance and biodiversity of carabid beetles and soil macrofauna and on the trophic activity of soil biota was studied. Metal concentrations in the impact plot were many times higher than those in the control plot located on the same transect. As the transect approached KMP, both the abundance of soil invertebrates (geobionts) and trophic activity of the soil biota remained unchanged, whereas the abundance and diversity of carabids (herpetobionts) decreased drastically. It is suggested that the impact of the KMP on herpetobionts is accounted for by modification of the structure of ecosystems and that herpetobiontic and geobiontic groups of the macrofauna respond differently to this impact because of differences in the ecological mechanisms of population response.     

Total fluoride in Guangdong soil profiles, China: spatial distribution and vertical variation

A total of 260 soil profiles were reported to investigate the fluoride distribution and vertical variation in Guangdong province. The soil fluoride contents followed an approximately lognormal distribution. Although the soil fluoride geometric mean concentration of 407 mg/kg is lower than that of China, its content varied from 87 to 2860 mg/kg. An upper baseline concentration of 688 mg/kg was estimated for surface soils. In A-, B-, and C-horizon soil fluoride spatial distribution presented similar patterns that high fluoride concentration mainly located in limestone, purple shale, and sandshale areas, indicated that soil fluoride spatial distribution was primarily dependent on the regional bedrock properties rather than anthropogenic inputs. From A- to C- horizon soil fluoride geometric mean concentration had an increasing tendency of 407, 448, and 465 mg/kg. This vertical variation was the result of the intensive eluviation under the subtropical hydrothermal condition, and had closely related with soil properties, such as lower organic matters and clay content variations. Moreover, the soil degradation and erosion was also an important pathway of soil fluoride movement, as a result the soil fluoride exported into surface and groundwaters would reach about 4.1x10(4) t year-1 in the study area.     

The Effect of Soil Cultivation on the Humus State of Gray Forest Soil in the Middle Urals

The results of studies on the humus state of soils in agrosystems of the Middle Urals (1984–1997) are described. It is shown that the change of agricultural technologies (crop rotation, doses of organic fertilizers, etc.) transforms environmental conditions and the direction of humus formation processes. Parameters such as the concentrations of humus and water-soluble carbon and soil potential for humus accumulation reliably characterize the humus state of arable soil and allow the mobility and migration rate of humic substances to be monitored.     

Analysis of Coupling between Soil and Water Conservation and Economic-social Development

Abstract

The coupling relation exists in water and soil conservation and economic-social development. The article analyses the relation of soil and water conservation and economic-social development stages as well as the coupling analytical method. Then calculates the expecting income by dispersing Markov decision and calculates the correlation coefficient and the relationship degree. The article obtains the relationship of soil and water conservation investments and all kinds of incomes. Finally, it analyzes the important meaning in socio-economic development of water and soil conservation.     

Soil and biodiversity

It is shown that the soil diversity-biodiversity system in terrestrial ecosystems operates in spatiotemporal unity, which manifests itself at different hierarchical levels of their structural-functional organization: successional-evolutionary, zonal geographic, landscape, biogeocenotic, soil-type, horizon-layer, geochemical, and the levels of elementary soil processes and soil fertility. Arguments confirming the functional relationship between organisms and soils are considered. Effective biodiversity conservation is possible on the basis of an ecosystems approach involving simultaneous conservation of soil diversity.     

鄱阳湖典型湿地土壤有机质及氮素空间分布特征

通过对鄱阳湖三个典型湿地植物群落带土壤有机质和全氮的空间分布特征的研究,结果表明：有机质和全氮在湿地土壤中的垂直分布规律具有一致性,表层含量显著高于下层,40 cm以下土壤养分含量基本稳定。表层土壤有机质和全氮含量不同植物群落间存在差异,有机质变化趋势为：刚毛荸荠群落带＜南荻群落带＜灰化苔草群落带;氮素含量的变化趋势为：南荻群落带＞灰化苔草群落带＞刚毛荸荠群落带。土壤碳氮比相对较低（10～23）;植物对养分的吸收能力、植被生长特征、湿地生态水文过程等影响着有机质和氮素含量的空间分布。
     

Analysis of Coupling between Soil and Water Conservation and Economic-social Development

The coupling relation exists in water and soil conservation and economic-social development. The article analyses the relation of soil and water conservation and economic-social development stages as well as the coupling analytical method. Then calculates the expecting income by dispersing Markov decision and calculates the correlation coefficient and the relationship degree. The article obtains the relationship of soil and water conservation investments and all kinds of incomes. Finally, it analyzes the important meaning in socio-economic development of water and soil conservation.     

向家坝工程扰动区不同修复类型边坡土壤养分及土壤酶活性特征

土壤养分和土壤酶活性是土壤质量评价的重要指标，为明确向家坝工程扰动区不同修复类型边坡土壤养分及土壤酶活性特征，该研究以向家坝工程扰动区4种不同类型的人工恢复边坡：植被混凝土（CBS）、厚层基材（TBS）、客土喷播（OSS）、框格梁（FBS）为研究对象，以天然林（NF）边坡为对照，测定分析土壤养分含量、土壤酶活性及其相关关系。结果表明：（1）4种人工恢复边坡土壤pH均高于NF，且均属碱性；（2）CBS、TBS土壤全量养分和土壤速效磷含量均显著高于OSS、FBS和NF；TBS显示出土壤氮营养的明显优势、CBS显示出土壤磷营养的明显优势；（3）人工恢复样地土壤蔗糖酶、过氧化氢酶和多酚氧化酶酶活整体高于NF；OSS、FBS土壤脲酶、蔗糖酶、纤维素酶和磷酸酶活性差异均不显著；（4）TBS当前状态接近接近NF；OSS、FBS在土壤养分和土壤酶活性两方面均呈现较大的相关性。综上，CBS、TBS两种人工恢复手段对于向家坝工程扰动边坡土壤养分持续性和土壤酶活性影响较好，TBS发展趋近天然林，OSS、FBS对于土壤酶活性影响积极，但养分累积效果稍差。