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No 1 (2023)
RESEARCH
The Correlation between the Radial Growth of Coniferous Trees and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index
Abstract
This work is dedicated to analysing of the nature of the relationship between the radial growth of trees and remote sensing data. The calculations performed showed that there are certain connections between the satellite data and the values of the first differences in the widths of tree rings, but the strength of these correlations depends on the uniformity of the plantation trees’ radial growth processes. The less synchronous in time are the series of the first differences in the widths of the tree rings (FD WTR), the weaker are the connections between the remote sensing data and the radial increment. Another factor influencing the nature of the relationship between the satellite data and the radial growth is damage to trees. Thus, weak or lacking links between satellite and field data can still be observed and the reason for this is the heterogeneity in growth processes periods of different trees in the stand.
3-12
Temperature and Precipitation Affect the Radial Growth of Berlin Poplar and Small-leaved Linden Trees in Saint Petersburg
Abstract
The effect of temperature and precipitation on the change in the radial growth of wood of Berlin poplar (Populus × berolinensis Dipp.) and small-leaved linden (Tilia cordata Mill.) in Saint Petersburg was studied. Cores were taken from old trees in the Forestry Technical University park, in the Palevsky square, in the city of Pushkin (poplar trees) and in the Moscow Victory Park (linden trees). To eliminate the influence of the samples’ age factor on the change in its growth rings’ width, the generally accepted detrending methods were used; the calculations were carried out in the Arstan software. Precipitation and temperature fluctuations during the winter period do not significantly affect the growth of poplar and linden in Saint Petersburg. Summer precipitation has a positive, but overall not a decisive effect, in some cases, the radial growth increases with increasing rainfall. Temperature has no significant effect on standardised (age-adjusted) growth rates. Non-standardised average values of growth under the increasing temperature conditions in July–September significantly decrease. The effects of temperature and precipitation appear to be indirect, exacerbating or offsetting the effects of other factors, especially the air pollution. The impact of pollutants increases with the increase in temperatures at the end of the growing season, because they accumulate on the leaves’ surface. Precipitation washes away pollutants, reducing the intensity of their impact. Growth decline in poplar trees in the second half of the 1990s, in the absence of such an occurrence in linden, can be explained by the consequences of a prolonged outbreak of the poplar moth (Phyllonorycter populifoliella) mass reproduction in 1991–1999. The above assumptions require additional research; in particular, determining the level of leaf contamination during the growing season and taking into account the impact of other factors.
13-21
Phytocenotic and Biotopic Parameters Affect the Condition of European Spruce Cultures during the Establishment Stage in the South-East of the Leningrad Region
Abstract
In the Boksitogorskiy district of the Leningrad oblast, the study was conducted regarding the influence of phytocenotic parameters (crowns density, height, herbage density, moss cover) and biotopic parameters (illumination, acidity, moisture and soil richness) on the morphometric parameters and vitality of European spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) BRT (bare root trees) and RBT (root-balled trees) seedlings during the establishment phase under contrasting growing conditions: under the sparse aspen canopy left in clearings and in open spaces, outside the influence of tree crowns. The positive effect of undercanopy cultivation on the safety and viability of seedlings of both types has been statistically proven; with RBT seedlings having the best indicators of vitality and growth along the main axis. However, the herbaceous layer’s height and density under these conditions adversely affected the branching of seedlings. Unlike the undercanopy conditions, when growing in the open, the condition of seedlings was more susceptible to the influence of abiotic factors. Under these conditions, a close positive correlation was found between the viability of seedlings with BRT and the main soil parameters (humidity, acidity, and nitrogen supply). Due to the better illumination on plots without canopies, seedlings with BRT had consistently high growth rates along the main axis. Under these conditions, the grass cover at the stage of spruce establishment was found to have a protective effect, maintaining a more optimal moisture regime and shading the seedlings. The practicality of using the RBT cultures in open spaces was still substantiated, since they were less susceptible to the negative influence of factors.
22-34
Relations of Phenolic Compounds, Tannins, Lignin, Nitrogen and Carbon in Plants of the Empetro-Piceetum Forests of the Kola Peninsula
Abstract
The study presents an analysis of aging (falling) organs (leaves/needles) of the following plants: Siberian spruce (Picea abies ssp. obovata (Ledeb.) Domin), downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh), common cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), crowberry hermaphroditic (Empetrum hermaphroditum Hager.), blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), Schreber’s pleurium (Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.), polytrichum (Polytrichum spp.), dwarf cornel (Chamaepericlymenum suecicum (L.) Aschers. & Graebn. (Cornus suecica L.)), wavy hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin.). A significant variation in the chemical composition (the content of lignin, phenolic compounds, tannins, nitrogen and carbon, as well as the stoichiometric ratios “C/N”, “lignin/N”, “lignin/cellulose”) was found among plants of the northern taiga forests at the interspecific level. The influx of secondary metabolites with litter depends on the plant communities’ species composition and the contribution of various plant species to the vegetation cover’s composition. At the intraspecific level (for Siberian spruce growing in different landscape positions within empetro-piceetum forests (in automorphic, transit and accumulative landscapes)) an increase in the content of soluble tannins (p < 0.05) in spruce needles from the automorphic positions of landscape was determined. Also have been studied some interrelations between secondary metabolites, nitrogen and carbon in the composition of aging photosynthetic organs of dominant plant species in northern taiga empetro-piceetum forests.
35-43
Development Dynamics of the Almond Willow’s Shoots on Different Levels Atmospheric Moisture
Abstract
The article provides an analysis of the modern trends in the rational use of fast-growing shrub willows. The almond willow (Salix triandra) is considered a source of wicker for weaving, as well as a species performing important ecosystem functions. The purpose of the research was to identify the influence of uneven precipitation distribution on the growth and development of the S. triandra shoots. The test site had a genetically aligned model inbred-clonal population of S. triandra. One-year willow saplings grown from unrooted cuttings were chosen as a study material. The development dynamics of S. triandra shoots was studied in four clones and in two different years with excessive moisture. The second year of observations differed from the previous one by an excess of precipitation during the cuttings rooting. Under experimental conditions, the maximum length of annual shoots was 210–220 cm, regardless of the year of observation. The cyclicality was determined in the shoots’ daily growth’s variations. The full seasonal development cycle of shoots includes four multi-day cycles. The second and third multi-day cycles are characterised by the greatest daily growth of shoots in the first half of summer. The maximum daily growth in both years of observation was 4.1–4.9 cm/day and occurred in early summer. The spring and late summer daily growth of most shoots did not exceed 2.3–2.7 cm/day. In the second year of observation, the late-summer daily growth (on average 1.9 cm/day) was slightly higher than in the first year (on average 1.6 cm/day). The synchronization of the shoots development in the beginning of summer was revealed, regardless of the year of observation and the clones’ factor. Excessive moisture during the rooting of cuttings lead to a shift in the peak values of daily growth at a later date. Against the background of an uneven distribution of precipitation, the influence of the clones’ factor on the seasonal dynamics of daily growth was revealed. When studying the growth and development of shoots in S. triandra clones, it is necessary to take into account the uneven distribution of precipitation in the first half of the vegetation period.
44-51
Carbon Dioxide and Methane Distribution in Peat Deposits of an Oligotrophic Forest Swamp in Western Siberia and Their Emission
Abstract
Swamps and wetlands of forested areas, as well as the non-forest swamps are jointly involved in the global carbon cycle. They play an important role in depositing the greenhouse gases. This article analyses the long-term dynamics of the greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) concentration in a peat deposit and their emission in a natural and reclaimed oligotrophic bog in the southern taiga zone of Western Siberia. It was found that a significant role in the CO2 and CH4 concentration dynamics in the peat deposits belongs to the weather conditions of each month of the warm period, the botanical composition and the activity of biochemical processes, as well as the structure and physical and mechanical properties of a peat deposit. Also identified were the intra-deposit, spatial and temporal dynamics of the greenhouse gases concentrations’ indicators. It has been proven that there are multicomponent dependences of CO2 and CH4 concentrations on the parameters of external and intra-deposit conditions. The concentrations’ parameters in the oligotrophic bog’s peat deposit from the swampy catch basin of the Klyuch river were determined as follows: extreme concentrations of CO2 were 0.002–3.64 mmol/dm3, extreme concentrations of CH4 were 0.003–2.03 mmol/dm3; the CO2 normalised fluxes varied from /–22.2/ to 157.8 mg C/(m2 · h), the CH4 normalised fluxes’ extreme values were equal /–3.0/–5.3 mg C/(m2 · h), the CO2 fluxes for the warm period were 20–110 g C/(m2 · year), the CH4 fluxes for the warm period were 0.8–3.7 C/(m2 · year). At the forest reclamation site, a slight increase in the CO2 normalised fluxes activity was revealed compared to a natural swamp, while the greenhouse gases’ concentrations in the peat deposit were found to be comparable in both cases. It was shown that in the absence of an operating drainage system, the process of re-bogging occurs. Due to the vast areas of the West Siberian Plain’s swamps and the aggressive nature of the bogging process, moderate and selective forest reclamation is suggested for its taiga zone.
52-65
Forest Litter Features in Floodplain Forest of the “Bolshaya Kokshaga” Reserve
Abstract
The studies, carried out in the floodplain ecotopes of the Bolshaya Kokshaga reserve (Russia, the Republic of Mari El) are relevant due to the need to understand the patterns of formation of the forest litter properties, which are a sensitive integral indicator of the biogeocenoses conditions. The work has been carried out on 20 test plots located in different parts of the floodplain in areas with a point bar type of river bed evolution, and, in addition to the main physicochemical parameters, the weight of the litter, its fractional composition and seasonal dynamics, as well as carbon reserves in it, were estimated. It was established that the weight of the litter on the studies sites decreased during the growing season from 20 to 33% of its value at the end of May. The main loss of its mass was observed in the first half of summer. The variability of the litter’s physicochemical parameters, especially its acidity, the degree of base saturation, the exchangeable calcium content, as well as the content of mobile phosphorus and potassium compounds, was found to be tied mainly to the features of the ecotopes, and their seasonal changes turned out to be statistically insignificant. It was determined that the greatest differences between the ecotopes were in the litter mass and the carbon stock in it. The mobile potassium and exchangeable calcium content were the highest in the litter of biotopes from the central part of the floodplain, and the content of ash and mobile phosphorus was the highest in the near-river zone. The ecotopes differed least of all in terms of the litter acidity and the degree of base saturation. It was shown that the carbon mass and stock in the litter of floodplain forests were significantly lower than in watershed stands, which was explained by its partial removal during floods, having the strongest effect in near-river ecotopes. The litter from the floodplain ecotopes, compared to the watershed ecotopes, also had significantly lower values of acidity, ash content, the sum of exchangeable bases, and the mobile potassium content. They surpassed the litter of lichen and mossy pine forests only in the mobile phosphorus content.
66-76
Artificial Forest Stands’ Impact on Soils’ Biological Activity in Khakassian Steppes
Abstract
Artificial afforestation is especially important for dry steppe regions, where forests perform complex soil-protective, climate-forming, health-improving and aesthetic functions. Therefore, in 1975–1978 in the Shirinskaya dry steppe of the Republic of Khakassia on the premises of the Sukachev’s Institute of Forestry, several experimental artificial multispecific plantations of tree and shrub species were created. The studies were carried out in ten biodendrogroups (BDG) of the Shirinskaya steppe. For comparison, a site of a virgin natural steppe phytocenosis, located in close proximity, was taken. The purpose of these studies was to study the influence of tree and shrub vegetation on the edaphic conditions change, the ground cover succession, and the change in the soil functioning regime. The maximum positive effect on the biogenic indicators functional activity is exerted by BDG with edificatory coniferous species, under the crowns of which subordinate shrubs with a sufficient amount of leaves develop. Artificial forest plantations contribute to the formation of litter and an increase in the micromycetes’ proportion. A correlation was established between abiotic factors, especially illumination, and the growth of terrestrial herbaceous phytomass. Changes in ecological and phytocenotic factors contribute to an increase in biological diversity by optimizing the phytomass reserves and structure, and the emergence of new herbaceous vegetation types. Thus, ecologically stable artificial forest biocenoses can form under the dry steppe conditions.
77-84
SHORT COMMUNICATION
The Influence of a Poplar Leaf Miner on the Radial Growth of the Fodder Plant in Izhevsk City
Abstract
The assessment was conducted regarding the influence of high population density of the Phyllonorycter populifoliella (Treitschke, 1833) leaf miner (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) in sustained outbreaks on radial growth of poplar (Populus balsamifera L.). The study was carried out in 2018 in Izhevsk town. A significant negative affect of the miner’s high densities on the host tree’s productivity has been shown. The results of the research allow us to consider Ph. populifoliella an economically significant poplar phyllophages and indicate the need to monitor the state of its populations.
85-90
Articles
Алфавитный указатель за 2022 год
91-96