Soils of the Cold Mountain (Goltsy) Desert Altitudinal Zone in the Khibiny Mountains

• Published in: Moscow University soil science bulletin Vol. 76; no. 1; pp. 26 - 32
• Main Authors: Maslov, M. N., Danilova, A. D., Koroleva, N. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological activity; Deserts; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Environmental conditions; High altitude; Historical Geology; Microbial activity; Microorganisms; Mountains; Organic matter; Organic soils; Paleontology; Phosphorus; Physicochemical properties; Plant communities; Plant populations; Podzols; Soil Genesis and Geography; Soil organic matter; Soil properties; Soil stabilization; Soils; Tundra; Vegetation; soil biological activity; microbial biomass; petrozem soils; soil organic matter; bulk chemical composition
• ISSN: 0147-6874; 1934-7928
• DOI: 10.3103/S0147687421010038

This paper describes typical and humic petrozem soils developing in the most high-altitude (goltsy) zone of the Khibiny Mountains under three predominant types of primitive plant communities representing different stages of the primary succession. The profiles of such soils are not differentiated by the content of most elements, except for phosphorus concentrated in the surface organogenic horizons. By their chemical and physicochemical properties, soils of the cold mountain (goltsy) desert are similar to Entic Folic Podzols formed under dwarf-shrub vegetation in the mountain-tundra located downslope. The biological activity of petrozem soils is lower than or comparable to that in soils of dwarf-shrub tundra. It is established that the microbial activity increases and soil organic matter stabilizes when the vegetation becomes more patterned. Overall, microbial communities of petrozem soils are well adapted to extreme environmental conditions.