Morphological characteristics and features of soils in connection with post-agrogenic and recent climatic trends (a case-study from Central European Russia)

Abstract

The article is concerned with some features of the morphological structure of abandoned lands of the southern taiga of Central European Russia compared to the arable soils from the 1988–1990 survey period. A conjugate study of macro-, meso- and microstructure and some soil properties has made it possible to identify two groups of features by which the chronosequence elements – arable soils and abandoned lands differ from each other. The first group characterizes features of post-agrogenic transformation (development of sod-forming processes, increase in macrofauna activity, improvement in structure), which are caused by a change in the type of land use and are typical of the meadow overgrowth stage of self-restoration. The second group of features diagnoses changes in redox conditions and the regime of soil moistening during the last 30 years between surveys. Growth of hydromorphism, appearance of stagnic properties and some changes in carbonate state have been noted in all modern profiles of abandoned lands on loamy continuous and lithic discontinuous parent materials. The appearance of these features was accompanied by changes in the regional climatic conditions.