Ecophysiological indicators of microbial biomass status in chernozem soils of the Central Caucasus (in the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria with the Terek variant of altitudinal zonation)

Abstract

A comparative assessment of the biological properties of chernozem soils in agro- and biogeocenoses has been made by determining the rates of basal and substrate-induced soil respiration and using these data to calculate ecophysiological indices characterizing the potential and stability of soil microbial biomass. The results show that the rate of CO2 emission and the contents of microbial biomass carbon in agriculturally exploited chernozem soils have decreased by factors of 3 and 2.6, respectively. The values of microbial metabolic quotients are indicative of medium-to-strong disturbance to the stability of microbial communities in chernozem soils of agrocenoses.