Forest soil fertility: the base of relationships between soil and vegetation

To understand the relationships between soils and vegetation in forest ecosystems, it is necessary to establish the spatial levels where they are implemented and to determine parameters characterizing the relationships. The key step in the development of the hierarchy of the spatial levels is the establishment of the elementary unit of the soil-vegetation cover. Such a unit, called tessera, is substantiated. Studies conducted in boreal forests have demonstrated a close association between the vegetation and soil components of tesserae. It can be quantitatively described in terms of informative fertility parameters: pH; C: N ratio; contents of nutrients, such as Ca and Mn; etc. Thus, data on the relationships between soil and vegetation determined in tesserae can be summarized at higher spatial levels of the forest cover: parcel, biotope, etc.