Environmental properties of Phaeozems humus horizons of the Voronezh upland oak forest (Russia)

Abstract

Within Voronezh city there is a green zone, the core of which are forest clusters of natural origin. The study sites are located in the recreational area of an upland oak forest. In such conditions, the forest litter and the upper soil horizon first experience transformation. All results were processed by StatSoft STATISTICA for Windows 10.0. In this study we found that low-thickness forest litter was formed in the Voronezh oak forest, in which the average content of macronutrients was (%): C – 2.91, N – 1.11, K – 0.32, and P – 0.18. These elements can be arranged in a variation series C > N > K > P. It is established that the edaphotope of oak forests of the forest-steppe has a favorable regime for the destruction of organic substances and the accumulation of decomposition products. The content of macronutrients in the forest litter and the upper part of the humus horizon is arranged in the same row N > K > P, which indicates their genetic relationship. The obtained data on the ecological state of the forest litter and the humus horizon of the gray forest soils of the oak forests of the megalopolis are important for understanding the biological cycle under conditions of technogenic and recreational loads.