Influence of Plant Cover on Hydrothermal Conditions in Soils of Large Lysimeters of the MSU Soil Station: Results of a 60-year Experiment

• Published in: Moscow University soil science bulletin Vol. 76; no. 3; pp. 134 - 139
• Main Authors: Matyshak, G. V., Goncharova, O. Yu, Bogatyrev, L. G., Riazantseva, M. I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Coniferous forests; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecosystems; Evaporation; Forest ecosystems; Historical Geology; Lysimeters; Moisture content; Paleontology; Plant communities; Plant populations; Runoff; Runoff volume; Soil conditions; Soil dynamics; Soil horizons; Soil layers; Soil moisture; Soil temperature; Thematic Issue on Lysimeter Studies; Transpiration; Vegetation cover; Water content; parameters of soil functioning; lysimeters; ecosystem; soil moisture; hydrothermal regime of soils; biological activity of soils; soil temperature
• ISSN: 0147-6874; 1934-7928
• DOI: 10.3103/S0147687421030078

The hydrothermal regime of soils, which are formed on the same type of parent rock under different plant communities in ecosystems of large lysimeters at the Soil Experimental Station of Moscow State University, is characterized. The inter- and intra-annual influence of the vegetation cover on the dynamics of temperature and moisture content in soil horizons is evaluated. It is shown that over a 60-year period after the start of the experiment, the studied soils significantly differ in moisture and temperature conditions. The greatest impact is exerted by the tree layer, due to the precipitation redistribution and the transpiration effect, which significantly decrease soil moisture and lysimetric runoff. There is a 2–3-time difference in the moistening of the upper 20-cm layer and more than 10-time difference in the runoff volume between the driest ecosystem (spruce forest) and the most humid one (fallow). The specific effect of the forest type on the temperature regime of soils is revealed. The temperature is minimal under coniferous ecosystem and is maximal under broad-leaved ecosystem (the difference in the mean annual temperature in the 10-cm soil layer is more than 1.6°С). The role of the grass cover, which reduces temperature extremes and evaporation from the soil surface, is shown. Seasonal features of the effect of the plant cover on the hydrothermal soil regime are assessed.