Chemical Properties of the Forest Litter in Istria and the Croatian Littoral

Abstract

The experiment was set up in the forest ecosystem with diverse vegetation zones in the area of Istria and the Croatian Littoral. Research included the following systematic soil units: lithic leptosols, rendzic leptosols, rendzic leptosols -eroded, mollic leptosols, chromic cambisol and chromic luvisols. The average quantity of the forest litter in the studied systematic soil units reaches 13.36 t/ha (Tables 1−3). The "wealth" of organic matter in the studied soil units can be presented with the following series: chromic cambisols (CMx) > mollic leptosols (LPm), organogenic, rendzic leptosols (LPk) > lithic leptosols (LPq) > chromic cambisols (CMx) -Terra rossa, chromic luvisols (LVx) > rendzic leptosols (LPk) -eroded. As expected, the lowest value of total nitrogen was found in the lithic leptosols in relation to almost all the other soils, except when compared with chromic cambisol and rendzic leptosols (p < 0.05). The statistically justified higher values of the percentage share of P 2 O 5 in the forest litter were found in chromic luvisols and rendzic leptosols -eroded in relation to the other studied soils. Significantly higher level of copper contamination was inside rendzic leptosols -eroded in relation to the other studied soils. The exception is rendzic leptosols (p < 0.05). A significantly higher zinc content was detected in the lithic leptosols in relation to the other soil units, except for chromic luvisols, while a justifiably higher total lead and cadmium content in the forest litter was observed in chromic luvisols in relation to the other compared soils (p < 0.05).

Determination of Organic Fractions and Enzymatic Activity in Forest Spruce Soil of Tatra National Park

“…Soils consist of various organic and inorganic compounds that are mixed at different levels. The organic component of soils, commonly known as soil organic matter (SOM), and processes of its formation were widely studied especially in the last decades (Crawford D.L., Crawford R.L., 1980;von Lützow et al, 2007;Špoljar et al, 2014). In the forests, decaying plant biomass tends to accumulate on the surface of the soil and its size is reduced by soil microbiota (Bardgett, 2005).…”