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Histosols cover about 8–10% of Lithuania's territory and most of this area is covered with nutrient-rich organic soils (Terric Histosols). Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from drained Histosols contribute more than 25% of emissions from the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector. In this study, as the first step of examining the carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes in these soils, total soil CO2 efflux and several environmental parameters (temperature of air and topsoil, soil chemical composition, soil moisture, and water table level) were measured in drained Terric Histosols under three native forest stands and perennial grasslands in the growing seasons of 2020 and 2021. The drained nutrient-rich organic soils differed in terms of concentrations of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen, as well as soil organic carbon and total nitrogen ratio. The highest rate of total soil CO2 efflux was found in the summer months. Overall, the rate was statistically significant and strongly correlated only with soil and air temperature. A trend emerged that total soil CO2 efflux was 30% higher in perennial grassland than in forested land. Additional work is still needed to estimate the net CO2 balance of these soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help solve the actual problem of global climate warming, it is important to comprehensively study soil organic carbon (SOC), soil fungi, and other parameters at different depths in the soil. This study was aimed at investigating the chemical and microbiological parameters and their interactions at various soil depths (0–5 to 195–200 cm) in an Arenosol in a Scots pine stand in southwestern Lithuania, with a focus on the main groups of fungi and their influence on SOC. The highest diversity of soil fungi species was found at a depth of 50–55 cm. Saprotrophs were dominant at all investigated soil depths. Ectomycorrhizal fungi were mostly abundant at depths of up to 50–55 cm. The C:N ratio gradually decreased down to 50–55 cm, then increased in deeper soil layers (from 50–55 to 195–200 cm). This means that the most active mineralization processes occur at depths of between 0 and 55 cm. Carbon stabilization processes occur at depths of 100–105 to 195–200 cm, and most of this carbon does not enter the atmosphere nor contribute to the process of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]