Carbon content in plants of the middle taiga deciduous forest of the Komi Republic

At present, the study of the carbon cycle in forest ecosystems is a topical issue in modern scientific research. Data on the carbon concentration allow us to estimate its reserves in the phytomass of forest ecosystems - one of the most important pools in the carbon cycle. Logging of taiga forests and subsequent reforestation with the formation of deciduous plantations leads to a change in the main parameters of the carbon cycle. The aim of the work was to determine the carbon concentration in plants of deciduous phytocenoses of post-harvest origin in the conditions of the middle taiga of the Komi Republic. The studies were carried out in 12-year-old birch-spruce young stands, 38-year-old aspen-birch and 45-year-old deciduous-coniferous stands growing at the site of felling. Based on taxation and geobotanical studies, 17 plant species of different tiers were identified as the most represented in all three studied phytocenoses. Plant samples for chemical analysis were taken in 5-20 replicates. The carbon content in them was determined by gas chromatography on the EA 1110 (CHNS-O) element analyzer (CE Instruments, Italy). It was found that the average concentration of carbon in the studied plant species ranged from 41.4 ± 1.8 to 50.9 ± 2.4 %. The studied plant species by carbon concentration were conventionally divided into 3 groups. The first group included mainly mosses and grasses, the second - birch and aspen, and the third - shrubs and spruce. It was revealed that the carbon concentration of the same plant species growing in the studied forest phytocenoses differed slightly (1-3 %) and these differences are not statistically significant (p 0.05). The obtained data can be used to calculate carbon stocks in the phytomass of deciduous plantations of post-cutting origin of the middle taiga subzone.