Humus Biodegradation

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UDС

630*181

DOI:

10.17238/issn0536-1036.2017.4.187

Abstract

The analysis of the literature data and authors’ observations in the Shipov and Tellerman forest-steppe woodlands indicates a gradual decrease in the thickness of the fertile forest dark-gray soils of forest and agrarian chernozems. In the “ancient” rich soils the humus layer, having reached a certain age, begins to deteriorate. The thickness of the humus-accumulative horizon of soils is bounded above. We have used the estimates of the thickness and age of the soils buried beneath the mount structures and earth fills. During the 20?21st centuries the thickness of the humus-accumulative horizon of the rich soils of European Russia is declining. The radiocarbon age of the most ancient humus fractions decreases, which indicates the disappearance of these fractions. We discuss the hypotheses of continuous humus accumulation (decrease). Presumably, the heavy humate fractions of humus, characteristic of the most fertile soils, are destroyed by soil archaea; the lighter fulvate fractions, peculiar to young and low-productive soils, are preserved. The signal for the onset of humus degradation is the high concentration of humate humus in soils. Approximately 150...180 thousand years are required to accumulate humus up to the maximum concentrations. The period of the destruction onset lasts less than 10...20 years. The beginning of the destruction and reduction processes of the accumulative horizon of fertile soils belongs to the 90's of the 19th century. Mathematical modeling, based on observations over the concentration of humus in the V.V. Alekhin Central Chernozem Reserve, demonstrates that the process of destruction takes about 200 years and will be accompanied by a conjugate enrichment of the atmosphere with carbon dioxides (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (N2O). The humus destruction in the soils of the Northern Hemisphere reveals the main source of observed changes in the composition of the atmosphere, independent of the anthropogenic one.

Authors

M.G. Romanovskiy1, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.V. Korovin2, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor R.V. Shchekalev1, Сandidate of Biological Sciences

Affiliation

1Institute of Forest Science of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sovetskaya, 21, Uspenskoe, Moscow region, 143030, Russian Federation; e-mail: michrom@mail.ru, schekalevrv@yandex.ru
2Moscow State Forest University, 1-ya Institutskaya ul., 1, Mytishchi-5, Moscow region, 141005, Russian Federation; e-mail: vladimir.v.korovin@gmail.com

Keywords

ancient soil, humate humus, humus degradation, Shipov and Tellerman forest-steppe woodlands.

For citation

Romanovskiy M.G., Korovin V.V., Shchekalev R.V. Humus Biodegradation. Lesnoy zhurnal [Forestry journal], 2017, no. 4, pp. 187–196. 10.17238/issn0536-1036.2017.4.187

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Received on January 17, 2017