Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Transformation of Forest Ecosystems in Moscow Megapolis under Recreational Impacts

  • DEGRADATION, REHABILITATION, AND CONSERVATION OF SOILS
  • Published:
Eurasian Soil Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A comprehensive quantitative assessment of the state of vegetation, soil invertebrate complex, litter horizons, and soddy-podzolic soils (Albic Retisols) in Moscow forest parks (Bitsevskii Forest and Losinyi Ostrov) as dependent on the level of recreational loads is presented. The changes in the main components of forest ecosystems in the forest parks under study have a unidirectional character. At the fifth stage of the recreation-induced degradation, the portion of the trees in good condition decreases by 4–5 times; the canopy density, by 20–30%; and the abundance of undergrowth, by 3–4 times. This leads to an increase in illumination of the surface by more than 30 times. With an increase in recreational loads, the species diversity of herbs in the ground cover initially increases from 9–11 to 23 species owing to the invasion of forest-meadow, meadow, and ruderal plants; then, it decreases. The litter pool becomes lower, and its fractional composition changes: the portion of the active litter fractions decreases by 1.7–2 times, and the portion of mechanically comminuted fractions increases by 3.5–7 times. The density and biomass of mesopedobionts at this stage decreases by 2–2.5 times in the soil and by 4–7 times in the litter. The most pronounced changes in the soil properties take place in the uppermost mineral layer (0–5 cm); in the deeper horizons, they are weaker. According to the results of discriminant analysis, the major contribution to the discrimination of soils at different stages of the recreational degradation is made by the aggregation factor. Individual contributions of changes in other soil properties are small, though their cumulative effect of the discrimination of soils is significant.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. N. D. Ananyeva, E. A. Susyan, I. M. Ryzhova, E. O. Bocharnikova, and E. V. Stolnikova, “Microbial biomass carbon and the microbial carbon dioxide production by soddy-podzolic soils in postagrogenic biogeocenoses and in native spruce forests of the southern taiga (Kostroma oblast),” Eurasian Soil Sci. 42, 1029–1037 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. L. G. Bogatyrev, “Classification of forest litters,” Pochvovedenie, No. 3, 118–127 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  3. N. V. Burova and P. A. Feklistov, Anthropogenic Transformation of Suburban Forests (Arkhangelsk State Univ., Arkhangelsk, 2007) [in Russian].

  4. A. F. Vadyunina and Z. A. Korchagina, Methods for Studying Soil Physical Properties (Agropromizdat, Moscow, 1986) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  5. Geography and Monitoring of Biological Diversity (Scientific Educational-Methodological Center, Moscow, 2002) [in Russian].

  6. M. S. Gilyarov, “Calculation of large soil invertebrates (mesofauna),” in Methods of Soil Zoological Studies (Nauka, Moscow, 1975), pp. 12–29.

    Google Scholar 

  7. A. S. Gorbunov and P. A. Tsvetkov, “Natural forestation in recreational pine forests of the green zone of Krasnoyarsk,” Khvoinye Boreal’noi Zony, No. 2, 244–248 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  8. S. Yu. Gryuntal’, “Soil invertebrates under conditions of recreational forest use,” in Influence of Recreation on Forest Ecosystems and Their Components (Pushchino Scientific Center, Pushchino, 2004), pp. 215–248.

    Google Scholar 

  9. V. A. Dogel’, Zoology of Invertebrates (Vysshaya Shkola, Moscow, 1981) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  10. A. L. Efremov and N. V. Novikova, “Biological peculiarities of soils under coniferous forest plantations in the recreation zone of the town of Mogilev,” Eurasian Soil Sci. 36, 1095–1100 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  11. V. M. Zakharov and A. T. Chubinishvili, Monitoring of Environmental Problems in Protected Nature Areas (Center of Ecological Policy of Russia, Moscow, 2001) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  12. N. S. Kazanskaya, V. V. Lanina, and N. N. Marfenin, Recreational Forests (Lesnaya Prom-st’, Moscow, 1977) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  13. L. O. Karpachevskii, Variegated Soil Cover in Forest Biogeocenoses (Moscow State Univ., Moscow, 1977) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  14. R. A. Karpinosova, Oak Forests of the Park Zone of Moscow (Nauka, Moscow, 1967) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  15. L. L. Shishov, V. D. Tonkonogov, I. I. Lebedeva, M. I. Gerasimova, and G. V. Dobrovol’skii, Classification and Diagnostic System of Russian Soils (Oikumena, Smolensk, 2004) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  16. V. A. Kuznetsov, I. M. Ryzhova, and G. V. Stoma, “Changes in the properties of soils of Moscow forest parks under the impact of high recreation loads,” Eurasian Soil Sci. 50, 1225–1235 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. V. A. Kuznetsov, I. M. Ryzhova, V. M. Telesnina, and G. V. Stoma, “Quantitative assessment of the effect of recreation on vegetation, forest litter, and soil compactness in forest parks of Moscow,” Moscow Univ. Soil Sci. Bull. 70, 17–24 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. V. A. Kuznetsov and G. V. Stoma, “The influence of recreation on urban forest landscape (by the example of Losinyi Ostrov National Park, Moscow),” Moscow Univ. Soil Sci. Bull. 68, 123–128 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. V. A. Kuznetsov, G. V. Stoma, and K. S. Bodrov, “The condition of the mesopedobiont community in Moscow forest parks as an indicator of the recreational load and the formation of impact zones along footpaths,” Moscow Univ. Soil Sci. Bull. 69, 40–48 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. V. A. Kuznetsov, G. V. Stoma, and I. M. Ryzhova, “Dependence of changes in soils on trails and their impact zones from a level of recreational impact in forest parks in Moscow,” Moscow Univ. Soil Sci. Bull. 73, 60–70 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. E. G. Mozolevskaya, E. S. Sokolova, G. P. Zherebtsova, D. A. Belov, and N. K. Belova, Evaluation of Viability of Trees and Rules for Their Selection for Cutting and Transplanting: Practical Manual, 2nd ed. (Moscow State University of Forest, Moscow, 2007) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  22. A. A. Nitsenko, “Study of the ecological structure of vegetation cover,” Bot. Zh. 54 (7), 1002–1014 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  23. OST (State Standard) 56-100-95: Study Methods and Units of Recreational Loads on Natural Forest Complexes (Moscow, 1995) [in Russian].

  24. I. M. Ryzhova and M. A. Podvezennaya, “Spatial variability of the organic carbon pool in soils of forest and steppe biogeocenoses,” Eurasian Soil Sci. 41, 1260–1267 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. L. P. Rysin and S. L. Rysin, Urban Forest Science (KMK, Moscow, 2012) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  26. Serebryannyi Bor Experimental Forestry: 65 Years of Forest Monitoring, Ed. by B. R. Striganova and A. A. Sirin (KMK, Moscow, 2010) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  27. Theory and Practice of Soil Chemical Analysis, Ed. by L. A. Vorob’eva (Moscow, 2006) [in Russian].

    Google Scholar 

  28. D. N. Cole, “Impacts of hiking and camping on soils and vegetation,” in Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism, Ed. by R. Buckley (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International, New York, 2004), pp. 41–60.

    Google Scholar 

  29. K. Killham, “A physiological determination of the impact of environmental stress on microbial biomass,” Environ. Pollut. 38, 283–294 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. M. Kissling, K. T. Hegetschweiler, H.-P. Rusterholz, and B. Baur, “Short-term and long-term effects of human trampling on above-ground vegetation, soil density, soil organic matter and soil microbial processes in suburban beech forests,” Appl. Soil Ecol. 42, 303–314 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. M. Malmivaara-Lämsä, PhD Dissertation (University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 2008).

  32. M. Mariella and D. Norman, Recreational Use of Forests and Disturbance of Wildlife: A Literature Review (Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  33. C. A. Monz, C. M. Pickering, and W. L. Hadwen, “Recent advances in recreation ecology and the implications of different relationships between recreation use and ecological impacts,” Front. Ecol. Environ. 11, 441–446 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. H. Muderrisoglu, M. Sarginci, B. Toprak, and S. Uzun, “Effects of recreational usage-type and density on forest floor organic matter in Abant Nature Park,” in Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Turkish & Japanese Environment and Forestry (Karadeniz Technical Univ., Trabzon, 2010), pp. 1562–1574.

  35. Soil Survey Division Staff, Soil Survey Manual, Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 18 (US Governmental Printing Office, Washington, DC, 1993).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory 1, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    V. A. Kuznetsov, I. M. Ryzhova & G. V. Stoma

Authors
  1. V. A. Kuznetsov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. I. M. Ryzhova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. V. Stoma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. A. Kuznetsov.

Additional information

Translated by T. Chicheva

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kuznetsov, V.A., Ryzhova, I.M. & Stoma, G.V. Transformation of Forest Ecosystems in Moscow Megapolis under Recreational Impacts. Eurasian Soil Sc. 52, 584–592 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229319050065

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229319050065

Keywords:

Search

Navigation