Spatial heterogeneity of mechanical hardness of replantozems

Spatial heterogeneity of sod-lithogenic soil was investigated on loess loam within the experimental remediation polygon of the Nikopol manganese ore basin in Pokrov (Ukraine) on soil mechanical impedance characteristics. Ecomorphic analysis of vegetation was made. The ordination of soil mechanical hardness data was produced by means of non-metric multidimensional scaling. Three-dimensional variant of multidimensional scaling was applied. The types of mechanical hardness profile distribution specific for studied soils were determined. The relationship between soil mechanical hardness variation and environmental factors was stated by means of phytoindicators method. To receive the greatest rank correlation, matrix based on the Mahalanobis distance was used with the indicators pre-standardized to the range of 0-1. It was found that the factors that form the first ordination axis of ecological space were soil aeration, ombroregime and climate continentality. The second axis was found to be determined by the variation of soil moisture. In the formation of the third ordination axis thermo-regime and light scales had the greatest values. Using the technique of spatial data analysis (PCNM) the spatial structures were recovered at different scale levels, and the processes underlying their formation were identified.