FEATURES OF LITTER FORMATION IN FOREST PHYTOCOENOSES WITH ASH MAPLE

The results of the influence of crown density of the ash-leaved maple ( Acer negundo L.) population on the formation of forest phytocenosis litter are presented. The objects of the study were forest floors formed under natural stands of ash maple on the territory of abandoned arable land within the city of Kemerovo. The vegetation cover was described, the dominant plant species and their general projective cover were determined. Analytical samples of the samples were dried to an air-dry state, weighed to determine the proportion of each plant fraction (leaves, grass, branches) and litter reserves per absolutely dry mass were determined. From the litter samples, taking into account the A0L and A0F horizons, selected from the ash maple plantations at each site, an average sample was prepared, in which the ash content was determined by dry ashing in a muffle furnace at 400-500 °C according to GOST 24027.2-80 and the nitrogen content was determined by the method Kjeldahl. It was revealed that the formation of the litter of forest phytocenoses is influenced by the density of the crowns of the ash maple population, as well as the content of mineral and organic compounds of plant litter. The predominant composition of the litter in phytocenoses was a fermentation layer of incompletely decomposed, morphologically identifiable plant residues with an increase in nitrogen and ash content in comparison with the overlying layer. In the under-crown space of the ash-leaved maple, plant remains were arranged according to the content of chemical compounds in descending order: leaves ˃ branches ˃ grass. Trees in open stands had the most intense mineralization of litter, probably due to a higher accumulation of phytomass and chemical compounds compared to trees of other studied groups. The results of the study can be used to monitor natural ecosystems.

Acer negundo L, plant litter, Acer negundo L, phytomass, ash, nitrogen, phytocenosis