Biomorphic analysis as a part of soil morphological investigations

Biomorphic analysis is the microscopic investigation of plant tissue, detritus, phytoliths, pollen and other remains of biota for the reconstruction of ancient pedogenic conditions and the evolution of soils. Each biomorph is associated with certain types of landscape, and provides information on conditions of soil development and on landscape evolution. Every stage of soil development forms its own biomorph profile, and profiles of different stages can be distinguished. They indicate the main vegetation changes during the Holocene. Human impacts such as grazing, tillage and tree felling also exert a considerable influence on the qualitative and quantitative distribution of biomorphs through the profile. As examples, samples were studied from soil profiles representing different climatic subzones of the Russian Plain. The results show that biomorphic analyses can provide information that is otherwise unobtainable and can elucidate some controversial questions of soil genesis and cultural changes.