[Vertical structure of bacterial communities in peats of the Yakhroma River floodplain]

The abundance and taxonomic structure of soil bacterial communities have been studied in different geomorphological parts of the Yakhroma floodplain. It has been found that the numbers of bacteria reach a peak in calcareous peat soil under forest near the floodplain terrace, decreasing to a minimum in soddy alluvial soil near the riverbed. All soils are characterized by the presence of different ecological-trophic bacterial groups capable of peat destruction. Seasonal dynamics of the structure of bacterial communities and, in some soil types, its spatial dynamics accounted for by changes in the botanical structure of peat across its profile have been revealed. All peat soils in the floodplain have high contents of organic matter and neutral pH and, therefore, are favorable biotopes for the development of saprotrophic bacteria. This, in turn, largely accounts for high productivity and stability of this agroecosystem as a whole.