Galina Vladimirovna Stoma

An approach is proposed for the assessment of ecosystem services of various components of the landscape of urban forest parks. The methodology takes into account the environmental and recreational functions of the territory, is based on the interconnection of ecosystem services, ecological functions and the properties of individual components of the landscape. The assessment is carried out in a differentiated way, taking into account the decrease in the quality of the services provided in conditions of significant anthropogenic load. It is shown that the greatest contribution to the cost of services is made by the soil.

The influence of anthropogenic activity on the quality of urban alluvial soils, the conditions of growth and the state of tree plantations is estimated. The level of negative consequences for natural components correlates with the degree of human exposure. In the profile of soils moisture decreases, humus content varies in different directions, pH of waters and electrical conductivity increase. Densification of soils and inhibition of biological activity are noted in the surface horizons. The coefficient of the ecological state of soils decreases by 6-24% compared to the optimum conditions. The correlation analysis showed the presence of a significant weak matching between vegetation state and soil quality (Spearman's coefficient is -0,53).

The article discusses the existing methodological approaches used in Russian and foreign studies of urban soils. The analysis of methods for studying the soil cover as an object of landscape design, considering its formation and functioning on the example of the Moscow city. Information is provided on the territorial and functional organization of urban space. From the point of view of methodological approaches for the study of urban soils, it is proposed to divide them into two groups: uneven-aged soils with bulk surface horizons from various recultivants, formed according to design documents, and natural and surface-transformed soils without filling layer. The features of methodological approaches for studying each soil group are considered. It is noted that the material composition of the ground materials from which urban soils are formed has a significant impact on their structure, properties and functioning. The use of ground materials of different composition and properties for the formation of the upper part of urban soils, sometimes an unknown history of their functioning and land use, and possible numerous violations cause extremely high and most often unsystematic spatial and temporal variability of urban soils. With the increasing interest of the scientific community in the qualitative assessment of the urban environment, the most promising is the development of methods for studying the resulting ecological functions of urban soils using integral indicators, as well as the development of approaches, methods and technologies for creating urban soils that meet the criteria of green environmental management.

Key words: soils of Moscow city, zoning of urban areas, soil science methods, urban ecology, ecological functions of soils, ground materials.