LINKING MICROBIAL COMMUNITY FEATURES AND BIODEGRADABILITY OF ORGANIC MATTER IN SIBERIAN PERMAFROST AFFECTED SOILS

Boreal forest soils have globally relevant functions that affect atmospheric chemistry and climate. We investigated the microbial community structure and activity of Siberian sub-arctic region (N 64°, E 100°) regarding to features and biodegradability of soil organic matter stored in permafrost soils. Soil microbial biomass, number of copies of DNA fragments and heterotrophic microbial activity of soil in larch stands of Central Evenkia were studied. It was shown that soil heterotrophic activity is closely correlated to the labile fraction of soil organic matter while microbial pool depends on the proportion of stable fraction of soil organic matter.