Vanadium in landscape components of western Transbaikalia

Abstract

Vanadium in soil-forming rocks, soils, and vegetation of forest-steppe, steppe, and dry-steppe landscapes of Transbaikalia has been studied. The mean element contents in rocks and soils are equal to its mean natural abundances (clarke values). The content of vanadium in soils is strictly determined by its content in parent materials; its dependence on the vanadium concentration in plants and on the soil pH and humus is less pronounced. With respect to the coefficient of biological uptake by plants, vanadium is assigned to the group of elements of slight accumulation (0.10–0.33) on mineral soils and of moderate accumulation (1.1–1.5) on peat bog soils. The mean vanadium concentration in steppe, meadow, and cultivated vegetation exceeds the norm for animals by 1.7–2.6 times but does not rich toxic levels. Vanadium uptake by plants is most intensive in meadow cenoses and is less intensive in dry-steppe cenoses.