The soilвЂ™s ability to retain plant water (maximum capillary capacity) and the soilвЂ™s aeration capacity (minimum air capacity) are crucial soil properties in addition to the soil reaction in determining soil productivity. This confirms the effect of soil properties on vegetation types with changing biomes. It is possible to attribute the lower pH values to cultivation activities resulting in the vegetative difference between the ancient and recent forest stands. Soil surveys conducted by researchers in recent and ancient forest stands revealed significantly lower pH values in recent forest stands as compared to the ancient forest stands. Soil pH is one of the most important if not the most important soil property, since it greatly affects the absorption of nutrients from the soil. The pH changes at the forest edge per RhoadesвЂ™s study provides a suitable environment not only for certain plant species at the adjoining biomes but also for soil microbial communities. On the other hand, there was a rapid increase in soil pH and extractable cations across the transition area (from forest to glade). In RhoadesвЂ™s study, the transition zone showed a sharp decline in soil phosphorus and nitrogen levels. The research by Rhoades (2005) on vegetation and soil characteristics across a forest ecotone provides some insight on the stability of the plant communities at forest glades. Land use for cropping purposes also has a significant effect on soil biochemical properties like soil pH, soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen, soil phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable bases. Spatial variations of soil properties across ecotones will be key in validating ecotone-dependent changes due to alteration in biological diversity from the soilвЂ™s viewpoint. Most of the studies on ecotone biodiversity have been focused on plants, birds, small mammals, insects, and, to some extent, soil fauna. Our results highlight the importance of soil as a factor affecting the distribution of plant communities along ecotones. There was a marked decline in the ecotone region where the lowest value was observed. The minimum air capacity was much higher in the forest region than in the agriculture land. The maximum capillary water capacity was higher in the forest region than in the agriculture land with a sharp decline in the ecotone zone where the lowest value was recorded. The forest soil was slightly more acidic when compared to the agriculture soil, with the ecotone zone recording the lowest pH value. All the soil samples collected were examined for minimal air capacity, actual and potential soil reaction, and maximum capillary water capacity. Every month from April to November, soil samples were collected at a depth of 5 cm. We selected eleven sampling spots: four in the forest zone, four in the agriculture land, and three in the ecotone zone between the forest and agriculture land. Our aim was to determine ecotone effects reflected by changes in soil reaction and other soil physical properties across this clearly defined forest-agriculture land ecotone. The clearly defined forest-agriculture land ecotone at the Proklest experimental site of the Training Forest Enterprise (T.F.E), Masaryk Forest KЕ™tiny, Czech Republic presents an opportunity to investigate these inter-relationships. Although the interrelationships between vegetation and edaphic factors are relevant in most types of ecotones, they are not adequately documented. Topographic and edaphic gradients usually arrange ecotonal boundaries.

Ecotone definition