Arid Ecosystems最新文献

{"title":"Soil Properties and Organic Carbon Stock of Soils under Arid Coastal Ecosystem Oasis in Southern East of Tunisia","authors":"A. Bouajila,&nbsp;Z. Omar,&nbsp;W. Essayeh,&nbsp;N. Brahim","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020026","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020026","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Our knowledge about soil properties and soil organic carbon stock under arid ecosystems is crucial if we are to optimize soil organic carbon sequestration to mitigate climate changes. This study aims at investigating soil properties, soil organic carbon (SOC) pools, and stocks in soil under arid ecosystem oasis. Soil samples were randomly collected from 0–5 and 0–30 cm depths in 17 sites (34 samples). The bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity EC, calcium carbonate and gypsum were measured in soil samples. Total SOC, particulate organic carbon (POC), SOC associated with the fine mineral fraction concentrations and stocks were also determined. Results showed that soils under oasis are characterized by high pH and EC values. Similarly we recorded great amount of CaCO₃ and gypsum among sites and depths. However bulk density values ranged from 1.23 to 1.30 and 1.18 to 1.35 g cm^–3 respectively in 0–5 and 0–30 cm layer depths. The total SOC concentrations range on average between 8.47 to 13.25 g kg^–1 and between 9.27 to 11.06 g kg^–1 in 0–5 and in 0–30 cm layers respectively. In all samples the SOCff represents the major organic pools of SOC (&gt;60%). Among sites the SOCs in 0–5 cm layer depth were between 0.4 and 0.8 kg C m^–2 and reach 4 kg C m^–2 (40 t ha^–1) in 0–30 cm. The POCs constitute only between 21 and 34%. The correlation matrix established between soil properties shows significant negative correlation (<i>p</i> = 0.05) between POC and EC. However, SOCs are largely positively correlated (<i>p =</i> 0.01) with different SOC pools. It can be said that soils under oasis store relatively high amount of organic carbon. Therefore, this study confirms that arid soils can be considered as a potential sink in North Africa to sequester SOC.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46829868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling the Evaporation Process","authors":"A. N. Salugin","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020129","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020129","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mathematical methods for description of the processes of evaporation from the soil surface under conditions of the sub-arid zone of the south of Russia are discussed. Theoretical studies in this area and the results of their practical application have been analyzed. Natural observations are explained using mathematical modeling. Mathematical models of evaporation from the soil surface are divided into two types: physico-mathematical, which are based on the interaction between the water and the soil carcass, and phenomenological, which are based on balance ratios. The data on the evaporation from the surfaces of light soils have been analyzed with allowance for the diffusive and film transfer of moisture within the pore space. The cumulative evaporation from extended areas has been analyzed using a semi-empirical model, which connected evaporation intensity with the precipitation and the hydrophysical state of the soil moisture in the aeration zone. Good agreement between the theory of the capillary transfer of moisture and the data on the evaporation from the surface of open sandy soils has been revealed. A nonlinear relationship between the evaporation rate and the depth of the underlying surface, as well as the capillary-sorption pressure, has been revealed. The amount of annual precipitation in the south of Russia and the cumulative evaporation are associated with each other via a power dependence indicating the capillary-sorption nature of the evaporation.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46357269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of the Impacts of Animals on the Ecological State of Soils","authors":"A. A. Gobarova,&nbsp;K. Sh. Kazeev,&nbsp;A. V. Zhadobin,&nbsp;A. N. Fedorenko,&nbsp;S. I. Kolesnikov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020063","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Animals have a significant impact on the territory where they live by the process of their lives. The studied objects are located in the zone of dry steppes, where climatic conditions limit the development of vegetation and contribute to changes in soil characteristics, which, in combination with the impact of animals, enhances the effect. The purpose of the work was to assess the impacts of animals on the ecological state of the soils of the enclosures of the Wildlife of the Steppe Association. In the course of the study, the main indicators of the ecological state of soils in enclosures with animals on the territory of the enclosures of the Wildlife of the Steppe Association in the arid regions of the Rostov region were determined. We explored enclosures of different sizes, with African ostriches (<i>Struthio camelus</i>), emu (<i>Dromaius novaehollandiae</i>), goats (<i>Capra</i> sp.), Przewalski’s horses (<i>Equus ferus przevwalskii</i>) and saigas (<i>Saiga tatarica</i>), and on the territory with semi-free grazing of ungulates, that is, horses (<i>Equus caballus</i>), camels (<i>camelus bactrianus</i>), buffaloes (<i>Bubalus arnee</i>), yaks (<i>Bos mutus</i>), and lamas (<i>Lama</i> <i>ganicoe</i>). The studied areas differed in the intensity of soil degradation. To assess the physical condition the moisture, temperature, density, and structure of the soil were determined; pH, the gross chemical composition of soils, humus content, and biological activity were also assessed, and plots were ranked according to the degree of pasture digression. In the course of the study, the enclosure with African ostriches had the maximum degree of degradation of ten, which is characterized by severe inhibition of vegetation and soil degradation. As well, the soil density in the enclosure with African ostriches was the highest, 1.49 g/cm³, and the percentage of structure was the smallest, 37%. These parameters had a close negative correlation with the pressure of the animals' hooves and paws on the ground (–0.9). The humidity level in the studied areas did not rise above 11%; despite this, the enzymatic activity of the soils no longer depended on hydrothermal conditions, but on the influence of excretions of animal waste products. In enclosures with ungulates, in particular in the enclosure with goats, the activities of catalase and urease were always higher than in other areas. A high content of humus, 10.3%, was also noted there, which is uncharacteristic for chestnut soils and confirms the influence of animal life on them. According to the research results, the lowest quality of the structure, humus, and biological activity, as well as increased soil density, occurred in the enclosure with the African ostrich. The data we obtained explain the decrease in the growth and development of vegetation in the area where animals kept in crowded conditions live.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42488958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Fractional Composition of Compounds of Metals and Sulfur in the Upper Layer of Soils of the Impact Zones of a Coal Mine (Central Russian Forest-Steppe)","authors":"I. N. Semenkov,&nbsp;A. V. Sharapova,&nbsp;S. A. Lednev,&nbsp;T. V. Koroleva","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020130","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020130","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The unreclaimed dumps of the Moscow coal basin are a long-term spontaneous experiment reflecting the transformation of soils and toxic technogenic material under the influence of acid mine drainage with compounds of heavy metals and metalloids. In the Tula region, the particle size distribution, pH value, the electrical conductivity of a water extract, the concentration of total organic carbon and three mobile fractions, as well as the total content of Al, Ca, Fe, Mn, and S were obtained to analyze the transformation of the fractional composition of compounds of six elements in the soils of sulfuric acid geocomplexes at 11 key sites (a total of 57 samples). Heavy loamy chernozems that were not exposed to the waste heap contain up to 9% total organic carbon, have a near-neutral environment, and low electrical conductivity. In these, the average mobility of elements (in %) decreases in the series: Ca (62) &gt; Mn (35) &gt; Al, Fe (14) &gt; S (3). Among the mobile compounds of Ca, exchangeable ones predominate, while Al, Fe, and Mn are extractable in 1 N HNO₃ at close levels of the S concentration of the three studied mobile fractions. Medium-heavy loamy toxylithostrats of the bare surface of the waste heap with a predominantly very acidic environment often have sulfate salinity. In these, the average mobility of elements decreases in the series Ca (80) &gt; Fe (36) &gt; S (15) &gt; Al, Mn (3). Among the mobile compounds of Ca, Mn, and S, exchangeable compounds predominate, that is, Al and Fe, extracted with 1 N HNO₃. Acid mine drainage and solid matter from the waste heap form toeslope talus that bury highly productive chernozems. In terms of the fractional composition of the Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, and S compounds, the bare soils of the talus are close to the toxic substrates of the waste heap and the grass-covered soils of the toeslope talus are close to the background chernozems. Relative to the waste heap material, the content of mobile compounds and total Ca and S is reduced in the displaced substrate from toeslope talus. Presumably, due to the influence of vegetation in the grass-covered substrate, the contents of mobile Mn compounds and the mobility of Al are significantly increased, while due to the lower supply of substances from the body of the waste heap, the mobility of Fe is reduced. The AUx horizon of chernozems has increases in the content of mobile compounds and total S, as well as water-soluble Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ with a decrease in the content of mobile compounds and total Mn.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42856628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil-Geographical Phenomenon in the South of European Russia","authors":"Z. G. Zalibekov,&nbsp;S. A. Mamaev,&nbsp;R. A. Magomedov,&nbsp;M. A. Musaev,&nbsp;P. D. Musalaeva","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020154","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020154","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The southern part of European Russia includes regions between two mainland-forming seas: the Black Sea from the northwest and the Caspian Sea from the southeast. The Caucasus Mountains characterized by variegated topography stretch between these seas in the submeridional direction for the total distance of more than 1500 km. The temperate and subtropical belts of steppes, semi-deserts, deserts, forests, and shrub vegetation are located to the north of the mountains within 42°–48° N and 38°–49° E (Dokuchaev, 1951). Ideas about generally the accepted parallels and meridians along which systems with increased geodynamic activity stretch are formulated within the framework of the zonal concept of nature. Latitudinal mountain belts clearly belong to the 36°–60° parallels on some continents and include a wide range of landscapes and conditions of soil cover formation. It is well known that within 30°–40° N, the atmospheric pressure is at its maximum, and these latitudes are called roaring latitudes, because winds that blow from them are transformed into catastrophic storms that affect the development of aridization and desertification.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47499212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Ecological Aspects of Using Geothermal Waters under Arid Climate Conditions","authors":"A. S. Kurbanismailova,&nbsp;G. Ya. Akhmedov","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020099","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020099","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article analyzes the problems of inappropriate discharges of geothermal waste waters to open ground and surface water bodies, as well as problems of the release of associated combustible gases with geothermal water into the open atmosphere as a result of flaring. An assessment and possible ways of technical prevention of environmental pollution due to the use of geothermal waters in arid regions are given. Schematic solutions for the operation of geothermal systems in the regime without scaling under conditions of the utilization of the associated combustible gas (methane) are presented. It is shown that the addition of carbon dioxide to the geothermal waste water that was reinjected into the aquifer provides the longevity of the injection wells.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46825588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Geographical Connectivity, Migration Routes, and Wintering Grounds of the Common Crane in the Northern Moscow Region","authors":"T. V. Sviridova,&nbsp;O. S. Grinchenko,&nbsp;M. Wikelski,&nbsp;E. I. Ilyashenko","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020142","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020142","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The results of a 3-year tracking of a common crane equipped with a GPS-GSM transmitter have made it possible to better understand the geographical connectivity, migration routes, and key sites of summer stays and migration stopovers of individuals of this species that nest in the center of the European part of Russia. Flyways and wintering sites have been traced and key and short-term migration stopovers have been identified in the arid areas of Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, and Ethiopia. It has been established that the crane used different wintering grounds in different years. It has been revealed that immature cranes of the Dubna premigratory gathering (Moscow Region) can use areas where other premigratory gatherings are formed, in particular, in Smolensk Region. Successful nesting of a common crane at the age of 3 years noticed.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42445853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Influence of Soil-Climate Factors on the Groundwater Parameters of the Slope Agrolandscape","authors":"A. S. Buzueva,&nbsp;D. I. Gubarev,&nbsp;M. Yu. Nesvetaev,&nbsp;V. A. Kulikova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020038","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020038","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The purpose of this research was to establish the influence of soil and climatic factors on the depth of occurrence and the degree of salinization of groundwater in a slope–hollow landscape. The observational data for 1990–2021 served as the material for the research. Hydrogeological monitoring of six wells occurred at the research stations of the Federal Center of Agriculture Research of the South-East Region. An analysis was made of the dynamic changes in the level of groundwater on various relief elements in wells located on the Volga Upland in the city of Saratov on the Elshano-Guselskaya plain. As a result of the analysis, a general trend towards an increase in the level of groundwater was established, both in the conditions of the upland and in the conditions of the slope–hollow relief. The chemical composition of atmospheric precipitation as the main source of groundwater nutrition has been established. The largest percentage of the total chemical composition of sediments belongs to sulfates, 35% and hydrocarbonates, 22%. The main ions that determine the chemical type and degree of mineralization of the studied waters have been identified. An excess of the MPC by average values was established for sulfates, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. The level of water mineralization on the flats is 27% higher than in the wells in the hollows. According to long-term average data, the groundwater, as selected according to relief elements, is characterized as saline.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49669346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Long-Term Dynamics of Stocks of the Live Aboveground Phytomass in a Steppe Phytocoenosis after a Fire (Based on the Example of the Burtinskaya Steppe Site of the Orenburgsky Reserve)","authors":"G. Kh. Dusaeva,&nbsp;O. G. Kalmykova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020051","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020051","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, in the arid regions of Russia, there has been a catastrophic increase in the area and frequency of fires in the steppes. At the same time, the entire above-ground part of phytocenoses burns out, which significantly reduces the reserves of the live above-ground phytomass, the productivity of communities, and changes the structure and composition of steppe phytocenoses. The purpose of our work was to study the effect of the pyrogenic factor on the stocks of the live aboveground phytomass and determine the timing of its recovery. In the Burtinskaya Steppe area of the Orenburgsky State Nature Reserve six monitoring sites were laid in 2015 after a fire, each included a control (unburnt) site and a burnt site. To identify the features of the dynamics of the stocks of live aboveground phytomass, standard geobotanical methods and the method of cutting areas were used. The studies were carried out in the 2015–2020 period. As a result of studying the effect of the pyrogenic factor on the vegetation cover of the steppes, it was found that the reserves of live aboveground phytomass (g/m²) reach the value of the control communities in the second year of the study. The seasonal dynamics of live phytomass stocks from 3–4 years after the fire depends more on the composition and type of the community and not on whether it was exposed to a pyrogenic factor. Over the entire period of the study the share of live phytomass reserves in the total aboveground phytomass of burned communities approached the values of control phytocenoses; however, there was always more in the control, which indicates incomplete restoration of the structure of the aboveground phytomass in the burnt areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48336658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Status of Coenopopulations of Xylosalsola Chiwensis (Popov) Akhani & Roalson and Scorzonera Bungei Krasch. & Lipsch. on the Ustyurt Plateau (Uzbekistan)","authors":"N. K. Rakhimova,&nbsp;T. Rakhimova,&nbsp;Kh. F. Shomurodov,&nbsp;V. K. Sharipova","doi":"10.1134/S2079096123020117","DOIUrl":"10.1134/S2079096123020117","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Environmental monitoring, protection of rare plant species, research to assess the status of populations of rare and endangered plants by coenopopulation approaches, and preservation of plant communities with their participation are priority tasks. The aim of this work was to study the ecological and phytocoenotic parameters of coenotic populations of rare species of the Ustyurt Plateau: <i>Xylosalsola chiwensis</i> and <i>Scorzonera bungei</i> listed in the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan (2019). Plant communities with the participation of coenopopulations of the studied species are characterized. The ontogenetic structure of these species has been studied. The results show that coenopopulations under the ecological and coenotic conditions of Ustyurt are normal and incomplete. The basic ontogenetic spectrum is centered with a peak of middle-aged generative plants. The spectra of particular coenopopulations are centered and left-sided, which is related to ecological conditions of habitats and fluctuations in weather conditions. The protection of these species should be continued during the development of free-range animal husbandry and the planning of linear infrastructures. The results we obtained will be used in subsequent editions of the Red Data Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan.</p>","PeriodicalId":44316,"journal":{"name":"Arid Ecosystems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2023-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48692490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}