Scientific publications

The following microbiological indices were for the first time determined in the profile of automorphic soils in Petrozavodsk city forests and parks and in their natural peers: active microbial biomass, basal and specific microbial respiration, microbial carbon contribution to organic carbon, microbial nitrogen contribution to total nitrogen. These indices characterize the physiological condition of the soil’s microbial community. The study has demonstrated that the qualitative and quantitative composition of the nitrogen pool and the indicators of biological activity in soils of various geneses in coniferous and small-leaved forests mirror the ecological conditions under which the soils have been forming. The structure of the nitrogen pool of forest soils features high stability, and can serve as a diagnostic indicator of the degree of human impact on the soil. Functional activity parameters of the soil, on the other hand, can be used to characterize the ecological, regulatory and productive functions of soils.