Abstract
In the clay semidesert of the Caspian Lowland, the surface runoff is transformed to soil runoff due to the presence of a system of social vole (Microtus socialis Pall.) passageways in the soils that promotes the retention of soil moisture and prevents the development of soil erosion. A quantitative assessment of this process is given. We describe the mechanism of intense soil erosion arising after the disturbance of vole underground passageways responsible for the formation of specific relief elements and plant communities.
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Original Russian Text © A.V. Bykov, A.V. Kolesnikov, N.Yu. Kulakova, N.P. Shabanova, 2008, published in Pochvovedenie, 2008, No. 8, pp. 1019–1024.
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Bykov, A.V., Kolesnikov, A.V., Kulakova, N.Y. et al. Accumulation of moisture and soil erosion in the territory of social vole (Microtus socialis) settlements in the northern Caspian Lowland. Eurasian Soil Sc. 41, 902–906 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229308080127
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229308080127