Природные закономерности почвенно-растительного покрова юго-западных отрогов Баджальского хребта

Abstract

Expert assessment has been performed using the cartographic method in a key area of the Badjal Rige southwestern spurs. The basic natural regularities of the soil and vegetation cover have been identified, including heterogeneity and contrasting change of soil and vegetation complexes within the limits of vertical zoning; belt-zone differentiation (alpine, subalpine, and taiga); wide distribution of corroms; maximum diversity and high dynamism of floodplain soil and plant complexes. The article presents a 1 : 40,000-scale vegetation map; it is based on the ecological and phytocenotic classification of vegetation. The main mapped units are association groups and their combinations. The legend reflects 13 divisions of the vegetation cover. Corroms occupy the largest areas (24.9 %). The subalpine zone vegetation makes 20.9 % of the total area. Mountain taiga forests take 32.9 % of the total mapped territory, including spruce forests (7.3 %), larch forests (21.9 %), and birch-larch forests (3.7 %). Larch woodlands are responsible for slightly less than 3 % of the territory; sphagnum oligotrophic bogs, for 0.5 %. Floodplain forests are spread over the area of 12.5 %; that includes spruce forests (4.8 %), chosenia-poplar-larch forests (4.5 %), and poplarlarch forests (3.2 %). 4.4 % of the area is pebbled. There are 5 types and 13 subtypes of soils represented in the soil cover. Dystric histosols and leptic folic histosols form the soil background. Soils are characterized by the presence of organogenic-coarse humus or dry peaty horizons. Organic matter content is high or very high. The reaction of the soil solution varies from very acidic to acidic. Based on the vegetation map, soil areas are roughly quantified. In terms of the set of soil and plant complexes as well as their regular change in vertical zoning, the area under discussion is the reference territory. Represented here is the Okhotsk type of land cover zoning, which is typical for the Far East with its monsoonal climate.