Relationship between the content of basic chemical elements and ecological and trophic groups of microorganisms in peat oligotrophic frozen soil

The paper analyzed the number of ecological-trophic groups of microorganisms and the elemental composition of the active, permafrost and thawed layers of a typical flat mount frozen peatlands (plateau palsa) in the Nadym-Pur interfluves, Western Siberia, with part of it affected by fire. The number of ecological-trophic groups was found to change after permafrost thaw. The study revealed a relationship between the number of microorganisms and the content of some chemical elements in the soil profile of the plateau palsa in the Nadym-Pur interfluve. A statistically significant relationship was found between the most probable number of microorganisms (CFU/g) in different peat layers and the pH, the ash content and the content of calcium, magnesium, strontium, and iron.