Home – Home – Jornals – Contemporary Problems of Ecology 2022 number 2

The properties of a sandy Ferric Podzol over fluvioglacial deposits and the root mass of its 0-20 cm layer with Pinus sylvestris L. fine roots (≤ 3 mm in diameter) were studied in a mid-taiga cowberry-type pine stand. Keeping in mind the structure of the phytogenic field of a tree, the study was subdivided into the “trunk”, “crown”, and “gap” zones. The root mass of the forest floor and the mineral horizons was found to change in different directions in the said zones. In the forest floor, the “trunk” zone was more saturated with roots than the “gap” zone, while the trend in the soil mineral layer was the opposite. The highest root biomass was associated with sites that were the richest in soil nutrients and organic matter (NPKC). The cellulolytic activity and eco-physiological parameters of the microbiota varied in the studied horizons. Cellulolytic activity in the forest floor was the highest near tree trunks, while the spatial variation of this parameter in the mineral body of the soil was less pronounced. A correlation was detected between the contribution of root respiration to total СО₂ emissions from the soil surface and the biomass of fine roots (≤3 mm) in the 0-20-cm soil layer. The effect of the soil thermal regime on root mass in different zones of the phytogenic field was studied. Soil temperature variation due to the redistribution of solar energy by the canopy results in a higher root mass in areas receiving more heat. The zone with better heated soils is the canopy gaps. The effect of the temperature of the soil’s root mass is more explicit in the mineral layer. The results of this study can be used in environmental monitoring and in predictive assessments of the effects of climate change on boreal forest ecosystems.