Organization of Forest Geosystems in the Lower Amur: Case Study of the Komsomol’skii Nature Reserve

This article deals with the structural–functional organization of the forest geosystems of the Komsomol’skii Nature Reserve located in the southern part of the Lower Amur Region. It considers a landscape organization model built using the techniques of information theory. The model is represented as a block diagram consisting of digraphs with landscape features in their center. This model is a modified version of the previously published one for the territory studied. It is built on the basis of a larger body of field data and with the addition of previously unused landscape features. Weak ties of moderate density predominate in the model, which may indicate the stability of the locally formed forest geosystems. Our analysis shows that the main factors determining the structure of forest geosystems of Komsomol’skii Nature Reserve are the altitudinal-exposure (aspect) zonality, absolute elevation (above mean sea level), lithology of parent rocks, and soil hydrothermal conditions. It is established that the timber volume (growing stock) is related to the humus soil horizon lithomass: it decreases with an increase in the lithomass. Grass stand production (plants biomass) is strongly dependent on the steepness of slopes; it decreases with its increase. Separately, the relationships are established for vegetation layers. The grass stand height decreases with an increase in the altitude and lithomass in the soil. The grass stand floristic diversity differs greatly in landscape facies groups and peaks on high slope surface and at the foot. The shrub layer height depends on the soil moisture content, lithology of parent rocks, and lithomass; it decreases with an increase in the soil moisture content and lithomass. All features characterizing the tree layer are found to be related to the amount of the soil lithomass alone, which has an inhibiting effect on the former.