Changes in Flora Species Composition and Soil Enzyme Activity in Communities of Acer negundo in Kemerovo Region

The article presents the results of studies on the species composition of vascular plants and soil enzymatic activity in communities dominated by Acer negundo. The studies were carried out on accounting sites located in the mountain-taiga and forest-steppe zones of Kuzbass. The selection of trial plots was made taking into account the horizontal differentiation of space into under-crown (registration plots) and external zones (control) of phytogenic fields. Floristic descriptions and the level of activity of enzymes (invertase, protease, and phosphatase) in the soil were analyzed. The diversity of vascular plants in the areas under study constituted 64 species. The dominant plant species in the ash-leaved maple communities were identified. Ruderal species Cirsium setosum, Elytrigia repens, Lamium album, Urtica dioica, and Taraxacum officinale dominate under the canopy of A. negundo, while the proportion of meadow species Achillea millefolium, Dactylis glomerata, and Festuca pratensis increases in the outer zones. It has been shown that the floristic composition of communities does not affect significantly the level of activity of soil enzymes. An increase in the activity of hydrolytic enzymes by an average of 11% compared with the outer zones was noted in the under-crown space of A. negundo.