The study subject was the soil heterogeneity at a recultivation site Nikopol manganese-ore basin (Pokrov, Ukraine). The soils at the locality are sod lithogenic soils developed on gray-green clays. The study ran by applying soil penetration resistance indices. The penetration resistance was measured across a regular grid of 7 × 15 points (21 × 45 m). The distance between the measurement points was 3 m. The parameters were recorded at every 5 cm to a depth of 50 cm. The environmental parameters were determined by phytoindication. Geostatistical analysis showed the average level of spatial dependence of soil penetration resistance. According to the features of the profile variation in penetration resistance with the depth, the measurement points have been divided into three clusters. The clusters formed morphologically homogeneous soil areas. These areas significantly differed in their soil acidity and in nitrogen content in soil.

On the basis of studying the spatio-temporal dynamics of soil penetration resistance we proved the existence of the technozem ecomorphs as above horizon soil formations. Research was carried out at a research center for study of recultivation processes in Ordzhonikidze city. Measurement of soils penetration was made in field conditions using an Eijkelkamp penetrometer on a regular grid at depths of up to50 cmwith intervals of5 cm. Calculation of average values and degrees of variation was performed by means of descriptive statistical tools. The extent of soil penetration spatial dependence was assessed and the existence of ecomorphs was proved by means of geostatistical analysis. The degree of associativity of spatial distribution of indicators of a soil body in different years of research was established by means of correlation analysis. The level of variation in space and in time of  technozem penetration generated on loess-like loams, grey-green, red-brown clays, and also pedozems was revealed. The degree of spatial dependence of  technozem penetration within soil layers and also the linear sizes of ecomorphs as above horizon soil structures was established. The time dynamics of  penetration of various recultozems were described. As a result of research into the spatio-temporal dynamics of penetration of technozems, data confirming the hypothesis of the existence of ecomorphs as above horizon morphological soil formations were obtained. An ecomorphic approach to the study of the morphological structure of technozems is proposed. The comparative characteristics of ecomorphs from various types of technozem are presented. The results obtained solve the problem of combining the higher and lowest levels in the hierarchical system of soil organisation as a natural body, which should raise the efficiency of the analysis of relations of morphological elements as a basis for detailed reconstruction of recultivation processes, soil formation, and study of their regimes and functions.

This paper summarizes the mechanisms behind the patterning of the intra-population spatial arrangement of the land snail Vallonia pulchella in terms of edaphic and vegetation properties. The molluscs were collected from a regular grid in recultivated soil (the research station of Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University, Pokrov, Ukraine). As predictors of the snail population abundance, spatial variables were used, as well as edaphic and vegetation indices. It is shown that V. pulchella prefers microsites characterized by higher soil electrical conductivity, which contain larger aggregate fractions with low mechanical impedance and the low temperature at the depth of 0-10 cm, with a more developed dead plant layer, low-light and low hygromorph and heliomorph index values of the vegetation.

Zhukov O., Kunah O., Dubinina Y., Ganga D., Zadorozhnaya G.: Phylogenetic diversity of plant metacommunity of the Dnieper river arena terrace within the 'Dnieper-Orilskiy' Nature Reserve. Ekológia (Bratislava), Vol. 36, No. 4, p. 352-365 , 2017. This article presents the features of the phylogenetic organization of the plant communities of the Dnieper River terrace within the 'Dnieper-Orilskiy' Nature Reserve and the patterns of its spatial variation involving remote sensing data of the Earth's surface. The research materials were collected in the period 2012−2016 from within the nature reserve. The research polygon is within the first terrace (arena) of the Dnieper valley. Sandy steppe, meadow, forest and marsh communities within the Protoch river floodplain and the Orlova ravine, as well as artificial pine plantations were the habitats present within the research polygon. The vegetation description was carried out on 10×10 m (100 m 2 ) plots. A total of 94 geobotanical descriptions were made. Data on plant phylogeny was obtained by the Phylomatic service. Phylogenetic diversity of the communities was assessed by the Faith, Simpson and Shannon indices. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by means of a double principal coordinate analysis (DPCoA). The vegetation cover within the investigated polygon was represented by 189 species. Abundance Phylogenetic Deviation (APD) for the investigated metacommunity was evaluated to −0.53, which is statistically significantly different from random alternatives (p = 0.001). The APD negative value indicates that phylogenetic organization of the investigated metacommunity is overdispersed. The permutation procedure allowed us to establish that the eigenvalues of the DPCoA-axes obtained as a result of the real phylogenetic tree were significantly higher than their own number for the random phylogenetic trees for the first seven axes. This indicates that the first seven axes are useful for additional information on the ordination structure of the metacommunity.

Zadorozhnaya G.: Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil penetration resistance of recultivated soil.This article examines changes in the spatial distribution of soil penetration resistance in ordinary chernozem (Calcic Chernozem) and in the recultivated soil in 2012 and 2014. The measurements were carried out in the field using an Eijkelkamp penetrometer on a regular grid. The depth of measurement was 50 cm, the interval was 5 cm. The indices of variation of soil penetration resistance in space and time have been determined. The degree of spatial dependence of soil penetration resistance has been determined layer by layer. The nature of temporal dynamics of soil penetration resistance of chernozem and technical soil has been described. A significant positive relationship of the structure of chernozem in the two years of the research has been shown. Significant correlations between the data of different years in the technical soil were found to be mostly negative.