The impact of strike UAV explosions on soil acidity and vegetation dynamics
The impact of strike UAV explosions on soil acidity and vegetation dynamics

Summary/Abstract: The article studies the predicted changes in vegetation self-regeneration vectors caused by soil acidity changes resulting from the explosion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In the areas where the UAVs exploded, the pH range for active soil acidity is 6.62–7.41, with an average of 7.14; for exchangeable soil acidity, it is 6.68–7.28, with an average of 7.02. The decrease in acidity is likely due to the release of carbonate parent rocks from the blast crater. Within this range of acidity, communities of herbaceous, segetal, and ruderal vegetation in the early stages of autogenous succession exist. According to the Braun-Blanquet system from the “EcoDBase 5g” database, these communities belong to eight classes, nine orders, ten unions, and eleven associations of higher vascular plant communities. In most observed cases, synatropization of the flora in the affected area is high. This leads to the formation of several types of anthropotolerant plant communities. Areas where the upper fertile soil layer is partially or fully preserved are covered with Stellarietea mediae vegetation. Poo compressae-Tussilaginetum farfarae communities (class Artemisietea vulgaris) most often form at the bottom of deep sinkholes with exposed bedrock or transitional rocks. This occurs within one to two growing seasons after the explosion. The vegetation of the Agropyretum repentis association (class Artemisietea vulgaris) forms at sites of disturbance in the absence of an impermeable horizon. This is the most widespread variant. It occurs during primary tillage, spontaneous turf disturbance, overgrowth of fallow land, and mining operations. It also occurs in ecosystems that have been disturbed by military operations, such as the movement of heavy tracked vehicles, the construction of fortifications, and the formation of explosive craters. Once natural vegetation communities are established, their subsequent dynamics are less dependent on the impact of the explosion. This occurs due to biogenic and abiotic transformations of the edaphic environment, changes in microrelief caused by water and wind erosion, and structural transformations of ecosystems. If UAVs use thermobaric charges in areas where the seed bank is depleted, human intervention in the self-regeneration process is necessary. This intervention should involve planting trees, shrubs, and other flora typical of this stage of succession. If the level of nitrates and ammonium salts exceeds the threshold, vegetation dynamics shift towards forming nitrophilic phytocoenoses. Vegetation self-regeneration is an effective method of restoring disturbed ecosystems. However, the changes that occur in the edaphic environment due to explosions, along with the destruction of niches, create favorable conditions for invasive species to enter these areas. The presence of these species leads to dynamic changes in vegetation. Sometimes, this results in a catastrophic climax. Controlling invasive species during the self-regeneration of vegetation after disturbances is one of the main tasks of postwar reconstruction of natural ecosystems.

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