Diversity of soils in the Dnipro River valley (based on the example of the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve)

Abstract The study established the classification position of the soils of the Dnipro River valley (within the Dnipro-Orilsky Nature Reserve) according to the international WRB classification. The pits were laid along three transects that passed through the most significant relief gradients within the study area. The study of the morphological structure of 20 soil profiles showed that the soil cover is closely related to the geo-morphological structure of the river valley. The morphological characteristics of typical profiles of these soils reflect their structure, properties and genesis and determine the classification position of the soils according to the WRB. Multidimensional scaling allowed us to perform soil ordination in the space of two dimensions. Dimension 1 differentiates soils by the gradient of relief height and/or moisture level. Dimension 2 differentiated hydromorphic soils. The properties of Quaternary sediments were found to determine the position of soils at both levels of classification (reference groups, main and additional classifiers). The distribution of each of the reference groups is clearly related to the geomorphology of the valley. Arenosols and Cambisols form the soil cover of the floodplain terrace, while Fluvisols and Gleysols are found mainly in the floodplain.