Characterization of the soil organic matter and plant tissues in an initial stage of the plant succession and soil development by means of curie-point pyrolysis coupled with GC-MS

Abstract

The composition of the soil organic matter in soil developing under the influence of vegetation during the primary succession in the poor sandy area was investigated. The Curie-point pyrolysis method coupled with gas chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric identification of pyrolysates was applied during the investigation. A comparison of occurrence and diversity in composition of organic compounds in plant tissues and humus horizon of soils under the communities of coniferous forest series in the initial stages and phases was carried out. A large diversity of organic compounds under Algae-Cyanophyta communities, biological soil crusts and Polytrichum piliferum was noticed. A clear differentiation in the composition of the soil organic matter at different phases of succession under predominating communities with cryptogamous and vascular plants was observed. The analysis of organic compounds in plant tissues was found to facilitate the determination of origin of various groups of organic compounds in the soil. The results obtained from the Curie point pyrograms in the humus horizon (A) under grasses (Corynephorus canescens, Koeleria glauca) differed from the pyrolysates obtained under Algae-Cyanophyta communities. The polysaccharide derivates are more frequent in the pyrolysis products under algae, grasses (Corynephorus canescens, Koeleria glauca) and mosses than under Pinus sylvestris. In the beginning of the terminal stage of succession, lignin, phenols and aliphatic substances, prevailed over the polysaccharide derivates in the humus horizon.