Carbon of microbial biomass in Al-Fe-humus soils of the northwestern Russia

The study was carried out in blueberry pine forests of the middle taiga subzone of Karelia. The results of complex studies of the microbiocenosis of Al-Fe-humus soils (Albic Podzols) formed on fluvioglacial deposits are presented. The methods of luminescent microscopy and substrateinduced respiration were used to assess the carbon of microbial biomass (Cmic). To study the microbiological activity of soils in relation to the mineralization of soil organic matter, the basal respiration method was used, and the metabolic coefficient was calculated. It is shown that the changes in the studied indicators reflect the natural and climatic conditions and the specifics of the soil of Al-Fe-humus genesis. The highest values of Cmic and basal respiration were observed in the subhorizons of the forest floor, and the lowest in the eluvial and illuvial horizons. The results obtained can be used as microbiological indicators in modeling carbon cycling processes in Al-Fehumus soils of forest ecosystems.