Comparison of bog phytocenosis ecotopes parameters and peat deposit depths of the Beloe bog (Perm region, Russia)

It is known that phytoindication of the nature and depth of peat deposits is possible only when, among other factors, the geographical and geomorphological position of the bog systems is taken into account. The aim of this study is to determine whether or not there is a relationship between peat deposit thickness, phytocenosis composition and ecological parameters of plant habitats, using the example of the Beloe Bog located in the Sylvensko-Irenskaya lowland in the south-east of Perm Krai. Measure ments of the depth of the peat deposit were carried out using a peat probe, followed by the determination of the volumes of the peat bog in the GIS (ArcGIS (ESRI)). The diversity of peatland plant communities is described, their ecological-cenotic analysis and phytoindication analysis of ecotopes is carried out using Ellenberg and Landolt ecological scales using EcoScaleWin software. The results allow to update the stock data of geological exploration 1969. Ecological-cenotic and phytoindication analyzes revealed differences between pine-dwarf shrub-sphagnum and birch-menyanthes-sphagnum communities. A Spearman correlation coefficient demonstrated a relationship between peat deposit depths and the proportion of Water-Swamp ecological-cenotic group species in the communities, as well as with a number of ecological parameters of the ecotopes. The use of two different ecological scales revealed inconsistency between them. The article substantiates the chosen spatial tactics for measuring the peat-land depth of a small irregularly shaped bog and also calculates the time required to measure the thickness of a conventional peat deposit of 1000 hectares. The relationship of this work to ongoing palaeoecological research in Perm Krai is highlighted. A comparison is made between the available data on the Beloe Bog and the results of phytoindication studies of the peatland thickness of Western Siberia known to the authors. The limitations and prospects of a series of similar studies in Perm Krai, which will reveal regional and zonal patterns in the spatial structure of bog communities and their relation to the thickness of peat deposits, are considered.