Архив рубрики: article-2-2025

“STEPPE” AS A GEOGRAPHICAL TERM: ITS ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, DISTRIBUTION

Arid Ecosystems

Tishkov A.A. “STEPPE” AS A GEOGRAPHICAL TERM: ITS ORIGIN, EVOLUTION, DISTRIBUTION // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 4-12. | PDF

In this article we discuss the genesis and transformation of the concept of “steppe” in Russian geography. It is shown that the original nature of the term came from the relief devoid of trees, but generally corresponded to the “ancestral steppe homeland” of Indo-Europeans and their languages. We revealed the dualistic nature of this concept, which is reflected in its interpretation in ancient literary and scientific sources. Additionally, we traced the variety of meanings of “steppe” as an orographic concept, its relation to the concept of “field”, and the peculiarity of is transition to the landscape concept. For the first time, it was attempted to explain etymology using the results of an interdisciplinary synthesis of various works of geneticists, linguists and archaeologists about the time of the formation and distribution of Indo-Europeans.

Keywords: steppe, wild field, semantics, etymological origin, Indo-European languages, steppe hypothesis.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-4-12

EDN: CSWEDY

WIND PERFORMANCE IN THE NORTH-WEST PART OF THE CASPIAN SEA

Arid Ecosystems

Gontovaya I.V., Gavrilova E.V., Ocheretny M.A. WIND PERFORMANCE IN THE NORTH-WEST PART OF THE CASPIAN SEA // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 13-19. | PDF

The article considers regional features of the wind regime in the north-western part of the Caspian Sea. The seasonal and annual dynamics of the main characteristics of the wind regime over a multi-year period and current trends in their change are assessed. An analysis of the average wind time series showed that easterly winds dominate the northwestern part of the Caspian Sea, with an average repeatability of 26%. Despite the stability throughout the year, there is some seasonal variability. Other winds include the southeast, west and northwest. Positive seasonal and annual dynamics are observed in southeast winds. Typical features can also be seen for the average wind speed between 1991 and 2020. Regional trend estimates based on time series of average annual air temperatures and average wind speeds show that the average annual air temperature increases with the average annual temperature. The average wind speed increases. The main contribution of the trend to the change of wind speed in the directions belongs to the spring and winter seasons. The northwestern part of the Caspian Sea is dominated by weak winds, most often in gradations of 4-5 m/s. Average wind speeds of 15 m/s are observed in all seasons, in spring and autumn their repeatability is highest. The results are of practical interest as the need for marine climatological data arises from different activities.

Keywords: Caspian Sea, climate, regional changes, wind mode, wind direction and speed, repeatability, practical value, difference of norms, deviation.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-13-19

EDN: CVVXMI

MULTI-TEMPORAL SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BARE SOIL SURFACE AND MAPPING OF THE ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT OF ARABLE HORIZONS

Arid Ecosystems

Koroleva P.V., Rukhovich D.I., Borshchev D.G., Rukhovich A.D. MULTI-TEMPORAL SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BARE SOIL SURFACE AND MAPPING OF THE ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT OF ARABLE HORIZONS // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 20-32. | PDF

A new method for compiling a map of the soil organic matter content based on multi-temporal spectral characteristics of the bare soil surface has been implemented in the South Russian province of the steppe zone of the East European Plain. The new map is based on the identified functional relationship between the soil organic matter content and multi-temporal characteristics of the bare soil surface with a determination coefficient of 0.81. The map detail is 30 m, which exceeds the accuracy of the existing agrochemical survey of arable lands in Russia. The new approach required modification of the ground agrochemical survey based on the map of the coefficient C of the multi-temporal soil line. A detailed map of the soil organic matter content helps to develop methods for mapping the structure of the soil cover in the direction of identifying intra-field heterogeneity of the soil cover for precision farming systems.

Keywords: spectral characteristics of soil, soil organic matter, soil line, big remote sensing data, neural networks, machine learning, agrochemical survey.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-20-32

EDN: EDXUDQ

GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPORAL-FUNCTIONING PROPERTIES OF ARID SOILS AT VARIOUS DESERTIFICATION STAGES

Arid Ecosystems

Zalibekov Z.G., Musayev M.A., Asgerova D.B. GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPORAL-FUNCTIONING PROPERTIES OF ARID SOILS AT VARIOUS DESERTIFICATION STAGES // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 33-44. | PDF

Numerous researches of the processes of desertification and aridization in arid lands and continental deserts have established the basis for differentiating seasonal (temporal) changes that facilitate the replacement of arid soil characteristics and corresponding ecosystem components with elements of a humid regime. Sharp seasonal changes in soil and vegetation moisture are associated with differences in the atmospheric moisture availability during different periods of the year.

The natural stage of processes that help eliminate soil moisture deficits during the autumn-winter and winter-spring in the arid zone of semi-desert and steppe complexes intensifies the drying of soil profiles, enriching the roots layer with moisture in a way that is common for humid regions. The period of plants utilizing the accumulated moisture is 60-70 days, during which the ratio of air temperature and soil moisture is determined within the range optimal for plant growth and development. Identification of a period with an optimal heat/moisture ratio and of certain duration under desertification, including the highest stage of desertification, provides a reason for the development of a technology that differs from the generally accepted zonal technology and takes into account the conditions characteristic of a semi-desert climatic regime (Akimtsev, 1957; Biarslanov et al., 2021).

Funding. This work was carried for the state assignment of the Institute of Geology of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Landscape-geochemical Zoning of the Caspian Lowland”, Section 1, No. AAA-A117-117021310199-9 “Development of Methodological Foundations for Studying the Humus State and Salinization of Soils for Landscape-Geochemical Zoning of Arid Territories”.

Keywords: precipitation, desertification, continental desertification, local desertification, limiting factor, deserts, temporal-functioning properties, humidification stage, evaporation, heat-moisture ratio, properties that reduce soil degradation, highest degree.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-33-44

EDN: FWTOBL

CHANGES IN THE DEGREE OF SOIL SALINIZATION IN THE AGROLANDSCAPE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHLY MINERALIZED GROUNDWATER

Arid Ecosystems

Buzueva A.S., Gubarev D.I. CHANGES IN THE DEGREE OF SOIL SALINIZATION IN THE AGROLANDSCAPE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGHLY MINERALIZED GROUNDWATER // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 45-52. | PDF

The degree of distribution, the level of rise of ground waters and their chemical composition mainly depend on the terrain and on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of precipitation. In conditions of increased relief (middle of the slope), the groundwater level is observed lower, relative to the lower part of the slope. On average, during the study, the difference in groundwater occurrence between a well in the middle of the field and a well in the lower part of the field is 4.4 times (343%). In conditions of increased temperature conditions in winter, precipitation is observed in liquid form, as a result of which intrasoil runoff increases, which in turn affects the degree of mineralization of groundwater. The higher the concentration of salts in groundwater, the higher the degree of salinization of soil horizons. The predominant ions in the mineralization of natural waters also dominate the number of ions of soil salts.

Funding. This article was prepared as part of the state assignment No. FNWF-2022-0007 “Formation of Principles for Managing Ecosystems and Agricultural Production Based on Digitalization and Forecasting Soil and Climate Changes”.

Keywords: groundwater level, groundwater salinity, soil salinization.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-45-52

EDN: FTGVFE

MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF HUMIC ACIDS OF KASHTANOZEMS OF TRANSBAIKALIA

Arid Ecosystems

Milkheev E.Yu., Tsybikova E.V. MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF HUMIC ACIDS OF KASHTANOZEMS OF TRANSBAIKALIA // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 53-60. | PDF

Bioclimatic conditions of soil formation in the cryoarid climate zone of Western Transbaikalia determine the specific composition of humic substances. However, the heterogeneity of these compounds, as well as the widely used classical methods of organic matter analysis, does not allow us to sufficiently determine the structure of high-molecular organic compounds in soils. 13C-NMR spectroscopy of humic acid preparations from kashtanozems made it possible to identify ranges of chemical shifts of carbon atoms from various functional groups and molecular fragments. The peculiarity of humus formation in kashtanozems is humic acids with a fairly high content of C, N, O, that occur despite the harsh conditions, such as the influence of long-term seasonal permafrost or continental climate. The macromolecules of humic acids in arable samples of kashtanozems are characterized by a less developed peripheral part and a high degree of benzoyl in comparison to humic acids of the virgin variant. This happens due to the environmental conditions of soil formation and the component composition of humification precursors. An increase in the proportion of aliphatic structures and a decrease in the proportion of aromatic fragments allow us to talk about a simplification of the structure of the humic acid macromolecules. A short vegetation period, insufficient moisture in combination with a light granulometric composition significantly reduce the rate of transformation of organic matter and lead to an increase in the proportion of unoxidized aliphatic fragments.

Keywords: soil organic matter, elemental composition, NMR spectroscopy, cryoarid kashtanozems, Western Transbaikalia.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-53-60

EDN: JGUGBG

ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIC CARBON STOCKS IN ARID DEGRADED SOILS OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA

Arid Ecosystems

Fedotova A.V., Yemelyanenko V.I. ASSESSMENT OF ORGANIC CARBON STOCKS IN ARID DEGRADED SOILS OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 61-68. | PDF

As of now, carbon management of dry regions receives little research attention. Therefore, in this article we discuss the results of assessing and comparing organic carbon reserves in arid soils of varying degrees of degradation in the arid zone of the southern part of Russia (Astrakhan Region). Based on the data analysis of 263 soil profiles, we established that organic carbon reserves decrease as the soil degradation intensifies. We discovered a significant spatial variability both between and within biogeocenoses. Our results showed that automorphic soils have a lower ability to sequester organic carbon, compared to hydromorphic soils. In automorphic ones, carbon reserves are 9.37±1.02 t ha-1, which is 4 times lower than in hydromorphic ones – 37.01±2.34 t ha-1. Additionally, we discovered that in the complete absence of vegetation cover organic carbon reserves in the hydromorphic coastal solonchaks of the crustal solonchaks with a severe degradation are at the same level with the reserves in automorphic zonal soils.

Funding. The work was carried out as part of the state assignment No. FNFE-2025-0012of the Federal Scientific Center for Agroecology, Complex Reclamation and Protective Forestry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Keywords: carbon, arid soils, desertification, degradation, automorphic soils, hydromorphic soils.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-61-68

EDN: JOPMDY

ARABLE DRY-STEPPE SOILS OF WESTERN TRANSBAIKALIA: THEIR PROPERTIES, MORPHOLOGY, MICROBIAL BIOMASS, AND HUMIC ACIDS

Arid Ecosystems

Chimitdorzhieva E.O., Korsunova Ts.D.-Ts., Tsybikova E.V. ARABLE DRY-STEPPE SOILS OF WESTERN TRANSBAIKALIA: THEIR PROPERTIES, MORPHOLOGY, MICROBIAL BIOMASS, AND HUMIC ACIDS // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 69-79. | PDF

The aim of our work was to study the soil properties, C-biomass and the structure of humic acids in arable chestnut soils of Western Transbaikalia. The objects of the study are arable chestnut soils of the southern basins of Western Transbaikalia (Tugnuyskaya Basin, Selenginskaya Basin, Ivolginskaya Basin). To compare arable soils with their virgin analogues, they were studied in pairs. Arable chestnut soils have a low fertility level: low humus content – 0.98±0.07%, low total nitrogen – 0.08±0.01%, arable horizon thickness – 21.33±2.31 cm, and light loamy granulometric composition. During the vegetation periods, the average biomass carbon accumulation in chestnut soils was 35.77±3.09 mg C/100 g of soil. The share of C-biomass in the total stock of soil organic carbon was up to 2.5%. The aliphatic carbon content in arable chestnut soil was lower than in virgin soil. The content of amino group and methoxyl group carbon in virgin soil was 7.9%±0.14, but about twice as low in arable soils. The amount of carboxyl group carbon in arable chestnut soils was 15.5%±0.42, and 12.55%±0.92 in virgin ones. A detailed analysis of the 13C-NMR spectra of humic acids can help to draw a conclusion about the structure and chemical composition of organic matter in soils. For arable and virgin chestnut soils of Transbaikalia, such analysis can reveal differences related to land use in local agriculture. Aliphatic carbon in humic acids of arable soil was less expressed, indicating a greater role of aromatic carbon in the macromolecular structure of arable soil. This reveals a pattern: aliphaticity is lower in arable land than in virgin soil. We doscowered that agricultural tillage transformed the molecular structure of humic acids, which was manifested in an increasing share of aromatic carbon in arable land. In the elemental composition of humic acids of arable chestnut soils of Transbaikalia, the carbon content is higher and hydrogen is lower than in virgin soil analogues. High hydrogen content in virgin soil leads to relatively developed side carbon chains in humic acids. In arable chestnut soil, the humic acids macromolecule contains more nitrogen (2.9 at.%) than in virgin soil (2.7 at.%). The value of the atomic ratio H:C on chestnut arable land was 1.0, and 1.1 on virgin soil. In arable variants, the degree of benzenoid was 22.5, and 16.4 on virgin soils. It was revealed that the elemental composition of arable chestnut soils has a more condensed structure, compared to virgin soils.

Keywords: carbon, microbial biomass, humic acids, 13C-NMR spectroscopy, elemental composition, chestnut soils, arable land, virgin soil, Transbaikalia.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-69-79

EDN: KFGOLT

FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF THE GROUPINGS OF PISTACIA ATLANTICA DESF. IN THE ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONE (DJELFA, ALGERIA)

Arid Ecosystems

Bouderbala R., Kadik L.,  Guerrache N., Souffi I., Douma Kh., Marzoug K. FLORISTIC INVENTORY OF THE GROUPINGS OF PISTACIA ATLANTICA DESF. IN THE ARID AND SEMI-ARID ZONE (DJELFA, ALGERIA) // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 80-90. | PDF

The current study aims to comprehend the working processes of unique daya ecosystems by comparing the ecology of two Pistacia atlantica Desf. located in distinct geomorphological and bioclimatic contexts within the Djelfa province. We performed a floristic inventory of two sites by identifying the plant groups that characterize them individually using a correspondence factor analysis, and emphasizing the primary ecological gradients that control their distribution.

Eighty phytoecological surveys have been conducted in order to achieve this goal. The 106 species found in our surveys exhibited a notable diversity of families and genera, with a prevalence of Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, and Brassicaceae. Examining the biological spectrum showed that Therophytes were predominate, followed by Hemicryptophytes and Chamephytes, indicating that the environment is deteriorated.

The primary ecological gradient identified by the correspondence factor analysis results is the geomorphological component. This would affect the moisture content of the soil and how plants are distributed. It is feasible to differentiate between the ecosystem of daya Bentoumi, which are less deteriorated, and the ones of Boucedraia, which are more degraded because of the gradient of anthropogenic disturbances.

Keywords: Daya, Pistacia atlantica, floristic diversity, ecology.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-80-90

EDN: HYOFVM

COMMUNITIES OF HYPERHALOPHYTIC DWARF SEMISHRUBS FORMATIONS IN THE DESERT ZONE OF THE NORTHWESTERN CASPIAN LOWLAMD

Arid Ecosystems

Goryaev I.A. COMMUNITIES OF HYPERHALOPHYTIC DWARF SEMISHRUBS FORMATIONS IN THE DESERT ZONE OF THE NORTHWESTERN CASPIAN LOWLAMD // Arid Ecosystems. 2025. Vol. 31. № 2 (103). P. 91-100. | PDF

Hyperhalophytic dwarf semishrubs communities in the desert zone of the Northwestern Caspian Lowland are confined to solonchaks along the shores of saline lakes, stretching from north to south and southeast, from N47° to N45°. The local cenoses have poor species composition (1-10 species). However, there is an exception which is a formation with 42 species formed by Artemisia santonica. The communities of Caroxylon dendroides, Kalidium foliatum, and Anabasis salsa formations are located at the northwestern limit of their range, mostly located in the vast Iranian-Turanian Desert. The cenoses of Halocnemum strobilaceum have a wider range in the Mediterranean, spreading from North Africa to Middle and Central Asia. Communities of Halimione verrucifera, Artemisia santonica, Frankenia hirsuta, and Limonium suffruticosum are distributed from the Black Sea Region to the Caspian Lowland (Lavrenko, 1980). The communities of these hyperhalophytes are confined to a certain type of soil salinity and a certain range of the groundwater level position. In the northern part of the region, the sodium sulfate type of salinity predominates mainly in the upper meter, and communities formed by Artemisia santonica, Caroxylon dendroides, and Anabasis salsa are associated with these conditions. In the southern part, chlorine ions dominate in the salt composition of soils, and the cenoses of other formations are associated with these conditions (Goryaev, 2019; Goryaev, Korablev, 2020). The novelty of our work is in its ecological and phytocenotic classification of hyperhalophytic dwarf semishrub communities that was performed for the first time, as well as in ordination and cluster analyses of salinization and soil moisture, all based on the data collected in 2017-2024 in the Northwestern Caspian lowland located in the desert zone.

Keywords: hyperhalophytes, dwarf semishrubs formations, solonchaks, desert zone, Northwestern Caspian lowland.

DOI: 10.24412/1993-3916-2025-2-91-100

EDN: GUDQXT