Published date: Oct 29 2018

Journal Title: KnE Life Sciences

Issue title: The Fourth International Scientific Conference Ecology and Geography of Plants and Plant Communities

Pages: 160–167

DOI: 10.18502/kls.v4i7.3234

T A Radchenkov_vald@mail.ru

V V Valdayskikh

L M Morozova

O A Nekrasova

In order to expand the possibilities of soil-cover remote monitoring and improve prognostic models of active-layer depth dynamics in connection with global climatic changes, the verification of correspondence between plant and soil components of subarctic landscapes is necessary. This is most relevant for the forest-tundra zone,
where the variety and mosaicity of soils and vegetation is great due to its ecotonic position. The purpose of this work was to study the relationship of vegetation with the characteristics of cryogenic soils and the dynamics of the active layer in forest-tundra landscapes. Data were obtained during monitoring studies at key sites in diverse landscapes of forest-tundra in the vicinity of Labytnangi. It was revealed that the thickness of the organogenic horizons, as well as the value of the moss phytomass, determine the active-layer thickness. A close connection with relief and soils allows the use of vegetation as an indicator of the soil texture and the depth of active-layer occurrence and features.

Keywords: plant communities, cryogenic soils, active layer, landscape, forest-tundra, Western Siberia

[1] Wang, G., Liu, L., and Liu, G. (2010). Impacts of grassland vegetation cover on the active-layer thermal regime, Northeast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, vol. 21, no. 4. pp. 335–344.


[2] Genxu, W., Guangsheng, L., Chunjie, L., et al. (2012). The variability of soil thermal and hydrological dynamics with vegetation cover in a permafrost region. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, vol. 162–163, pp. 44–57.


[3] Almeida, I., Schaefer, C., and Fernandes, R. (2014). Active layer thermal regime at different vegetation covers at Lions Rump, King George Island, Maritime Antarctica. Geomorphology, vol. 225, pp. 36–46.


[4] Chang, X., Jin, H., and Zhang, Y. (2015). Thermal Impacts of Boreal Forest vegetation on active layer and permafrost soils in Northern Da Xing’anling (Hinggan) mountains, Northeast China. Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 267–279.


[5] Fisher, J. P., Estop-Aragones, C., and Thierry, A. (2016). The influence of vegetation and soil characteristics on active-layer thickness of permafrost soils in Boreal Forest. Global Change Biology, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 3127–3140.


[6] Anisimov, O. A. and Sherstyukov, A. B. (2016). Assessment of the natural and climatic factor role in changes to the permafrost zone of Russia. Cryosphere of the Earth, vol. XX, no. 2, pp. 90–99.


[7] Dantec-Nédélec, S., Ottlé, C., Wang, T., et al. (2017). Testing the capability of ORCHIDEE land surface model to simulate Arctic ecosystems: Sensitivity analysis and site-level model calibration. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 1212–1230.


[8] National Atlas of Russia. Nature and Ecology. (2008). Moscow: Astrel, Roskartografia.


[9] Valdayskikh, V., Nekrasova, O., Jouzel, J., et al. (2013). Some characteristics of foresttundra (West Siberia) soil groups distinguished on the basis of thermal properties. Prace Geograficzne, zeszyt, vol. 135, pp. 73–86.


[10] World Reference Base for Soil Resources. (2014). Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.


[11] Shein, E. V. (2005). Course of Soil Physics. Moscow: MSU.