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Soils of Steppe Areas in the Cis-Tundra Open Woodland Subzone on the Right Bank of the Kolyma River in Its Lower Reaches

  • GENESIS AND GEOGRAPHY OF SOILS
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Abstract

Small areas of steppe-like vegetation (steppoids) occur on southern slopes among open larch woodlands in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River, northeastern Siberia. Depending on the soil parent material, they are divided into petrophytic (on the bedrock colluvium) and thermophytic (on silty loam of the Yedoma (Ice Complex) formation) steppoids. Xeromorphic deeply thawing soils with diverse humus-accumulative horizons, high content of roots, fine subangular blocky structure, and an increased content of water-stable microaggregates are formed in steppoids. These soils from differ from the soils of surrounding taiga landscape by the decreased actual and potential acidity; higher contents of exchangeable bases, soluble salts, carbonates, and organic nitrogen; smaller ratio between concentrations of oxalate- and dithionite-extractable iron. The soils of steppoids, especially thermophytic steppoids, are zooturbated. Dark mull-like forms of humus on the surface of mineral grains are present among the microaccumulations of organic matter in these soils. The features of cryoxerozemic pedogenesis are better manifested in petrophytic steppoids. The soils of thermophytic steppoids have similar features with steppe cryoarid ones, but differ from the latter in the absence of carbonate-accumulative and cryohumus horizons and in a relatively high acidity. Among the soils of petrophytic steppoids, gray-humus lithozems and gray-humus or mucky–dark-humus soils with carbonate incrustation can be distinguished. The soils of thermophytic steppoids can be classified as gray-humus or mucky–dark-humus surface-turbated (zooturbated) soils.

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Notes

  1. Hereinafter, data on 2006–2011 are presented, i.e., on the period, when the temperature regime of soils under steppoids was specially studied.

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Funding

This work was supported by state assignments of the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, no. 122040500038-3, the Pacific Geographical Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, no. 122020900184-5, and the Institute of Geology of Diamond and Precious Metals (FUEM-2019-0002 no. AAAA-A17-117021310217-0), Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science. In part, it was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 07-05-00313-a.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290, Pushchino, Russia

    D. G. Fedorov-Davydov, S. V. Gubin & O. G. Zanina

  2. Pacific Geographical Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, North-Eastern Scientific Experimental Station, 678830, Cherskiy, Republic of Sakha, Yakutia, Russia

    S. P. Davydov & A. I. Davydova

  3. Ammosov Northeastern Federal University, 677000, Yakutsk, Russia

    M. V. Shchelchkova

  4. Institute of Geology of Diamond and Precious Metals, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, 677980, Yakutsk, Russia

    G. G. Boeskorov

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  1. D. G. Fedorov-Davydov
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Supplementary Information

11475_2024_2096_MOESM1_ESM.docx

11475_2024_2096_MOESM2_ESM.docx

11475_2024_2096_MOESM3_ESM.docx

Table S1 . Description of soil profiles.

Fig. S2 . Vegetation of petrophytic and thermophytic steppoids.

Table S3 . Group and fractional composition of humus in the soils of steppoids, % of Corg.

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Fedorov-Davydov, D.G., Davydov, S.P., Gubin, S.V. et al. Soils of Steppe Areas in the Cis-Tundra Open Woodland Subzone on the Right Bank of the Kolyma River in Its Lower Reaches. Eurasian Soil Sc. 57, 762–779 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229324600027

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