ИСТИНА

The role of paleosols in the evolution of bio-geosphere cycles is based on the fact that more than 90% of all living organisms occur in soils. Through geological history of the Earth pedogenesis transformed a major part of terrestrial sediments and metamorphic rocks in geo-biocycles. Pedogenesis determines bio-geosphere cycles from their origin. The most ancient records of terrestrial life and pedogenesis could be traced down to 3800 Ma and wherever we record traces of life we trace paleosols. The pre-Cambrian soils formed under bacterial biosphere had ecological functions similar to soils of Paleozoic or Holocene age. Soils are litho- and clima-sensitive, and supported complicated microbial communities. Microorganisms determined weathering though the whole vadoze zone. Evolution of soils and biota may be understood based on a coexistence approach to biological evolution, where ecosystem as a whole provides frame for evolutionary pathways of separate components. Coevolution is especially obvious for critical points in the pedosphere evolution, like oxygenation of the atmosphere in the pre-Cambrian, radiation of higher plants in the Devonian and expansion of grass biomes in the Cenozoic. Evolution of ecosystems is a new paradigm of the natural sciences. Ecological functions of paleosols are displayed in line with biological evolution. So paleosols could be regarded as an extended phenotype (Phillips, 2009). In the geological history of the Earth coevolution of life and soil goes as a large-scale biogeochemical succession with an increased role of biological cycles. Paleosols record a broad number of parameters and environmental links of former ecosystems. Paleosols comprise the major record in Quaternary terrestrial archives and are in the center of such multidisciplinary challenges like global climate change, carbon sequestration, cryo-biosphere, etc. Considerable part of present-day pedosphere consists of surface paleosols with their profiles keeping record of final stages of sedimentation and former environments.