Approach to the Integral Assessment of Soils in Moscow Forest Parks in the Context of Ecosystem Services and Disservices

Abstract: Ecosystem services are a modern tool of environmental assessment, planning, and design, especially in large cities. The top layer (0–10 cm) of soddy-podzolic soils (Albic Retisols) was sampled in urban forest parks of Moscow (Aleshkino, Bitsa, Lesnaya experimental dacha, Troparevo, Lianozovo, and Yugo-Zapadny) and suburban (background) forests. In total, 30 samples (6 × 5 plots) were taken in forest parks and 20 samples (4 × 5 plots) in background areas, altogether 50 samples. The contents of carbon (C); nitrogen (N); phosphorus (P); heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn); nitrate nitrogen (N–); and C, N, and P in microbial biomass (Cmic, Nmic, and Pmic), basal (microbial) respiration were determined. The portion of Cmic, Nmic, and Pmic in the total contents of these elements in soil (Cmic/C, Nmic/N, and Pmic/P) were calculated. We suggest that the values of basal respiration, Cmic/C, Nmic/N, and Pmic/P characterizing the cycles of biophilic elements in the soil may be associated with supporting ecosystem services whereas soil pollution (heavy metals and N–), with ecosystem disservice. The basal respiration, Cmic/C, Nmic/N, and Pmic/P in the soils of each studied forest park were, on average, by 4–72% lower as compared with the background analogues, whereas the contents of Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, and N– were by 14–194% higher. According to the listed characteristics in integral index of soil (IIS, scores) is proposed to quantify their ecological state. This index in forest parks is by 32–72% lower as compared with the background analogues (IIS = 1) and reaches its maximum (0.68) in the Bitsa forest park (2208 ha) and minimum (0.28) in the Lianozovo park (44 ha). © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd. 2024.