Boreal Ecology Article Review: Assessment of Soil Quality for Biodiversity Conservation in Boreal Forest Ecosystems

This is a review for the article: "Assessment of Soil Quality for Biodiversity Conservation in Boreal Forest Ecosystems".

Galina N. Koptsik and Svetlana Yu. Livantsova are associated with the Soil Science Faculty, and Serguei V. Koptsik is associated with the Faculty of Physics in Moscow State University, Russia.

A study was done in Russia, to observe the correlation between soil types and the types of species grown there. The layer of thickness, organic content, elements present, acidity and exchangeable cat-ions of soils were examined by the method of sampling and using chemical analysis. The study showed that certain species are able to out-compete others and dominate a particular soil type; similarly, different soil types formed under certain vegetations. Mainly, the pH and organic matter content strongly predicts the species diversity within the soil type.

This paper has very descriptive text information as well as graphs; the authors also suggests that soil quality management could be used to maintain compositional stability at forest ecosystems. However, although the authors have suggested it, they do not follow through – with the knowledge they had obtained from the research, they should have proposed a method to carry out the soil quality management. Since the reading was extensively descriptive and took me 3 times to read it in order to understand, it carries much valuable information that may advance the ways to treat forests.

This reading helps readers understand the correlation between soil type and its vegetation. With the obtained understanding, which was based on realistic settings, readers may be able to visualize and further understand the relationship between boreal forest and its soils.

Source Cited:
“Assessment of Soil Quality for Biodiversity Conservation in Boreal Forest Ecosystems,” Galina N.Koptsik, Serguei V. Koptsik and Svetlana Yu. Livantsova, 627-634, 2001.