FORMATION AND PROPERTIES OF ORGANIC-MATTER IN A FOREST SOIL, AS REVEALED BY ITS BIOLOGICAL-ACTIVITY, WET CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS, CPMAS C-13-NMR SPECTROSCOPY AND PYROLYSIS FIELD-IONIZATION MASS-SPECTROMETRY

In a loamy Typic Hapludalf under beech and oak, the formation of soil organic matter was investigated using morphological and biological measurements, as well as wet chemistry, CPMAS C-13-NMR spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-field ionization mass spectrometry. Separation of the L, Of, and Oh horizon of the litter, and movement of fulvic acids into the subsoil indicated podzolization. About 90% of the litter was metabolized in 1 yr, with earthworms and gastropods being mainly responsible for the intensive mixing in the mull-like soil. Soil organism activity reached a maximum in spring and autumn. The major constituents of the litter horizons were polysaocharides and lipins, with minor amounts of aliphatic compounds and proteins. Humic substances dominated the mineral soil horizons, fulvic acids being the major fraction.