Effect of the biota diversity on the composition of low-molecular-weight water-soluble organic compounds in southern tundra soils

• Published in: Eurasian soil science 2014-03, Vol.47 (3), p.173-181
• Main Authors: Shamrikova, E. V, Kubik, O. S, Punegov, V. V, Gruzdev, I. V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: absorption; acids; alcohols; Biodiversity; Biota; calcium; Carbohydrates; carbon; Cations; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Gas chromatography; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Ions; magnesium; Molecular weight; Mosses; mosses and liverworts; Organic carbon; Organic chemicals; Organic compounds; organic horizons; Permafrost; potassium; sodium; Soil Chemistry; Soils; Spectral analysis; Spectrometry; spectroscopy; Taiga & tundra; Tundra; tundra soils
• ISSN: 1064-2293; 1556-195X
• DOI: 10.1134/S1064229314030077

Water extracts from the organic horizons of southern-tundra loamy permafrost-affected soils (a surface-gleyed tundra soil, a surface-gleyed soddy tundra soil (Haplic Stagnosols (Gelic)), and a peaty tundra soil (Histic Cryosol (Reductaquic)) and their undecomposed moss layers have been analyzed. The total weight concentration of the cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺) determined by the atomic absorption method reaches 20 mg/dm³ in the organic horizons and 40–90 mg/dm³ in the undecomposed moss layers. Potassium and calcium ions dominate in all the organic horizons (80–90% of the total weight); potassium ions prevail in the mosses (about 70%). The weight concentration of carbon in the water-soluble organic compounds is 0.04–0.07 g/dm³ in the organic horizons and 0.20–0.40 g/dm³ in the undecomposed moss layers. The content of low-molecular-weight organic compounds (alcohols, carbohydrates, and acids) identified by gas chromatography and chromatomass spectrometry is 1–30 mg/dm³ in the organic horizons of the soils and 80–180 mg/dm³ in the mosses, which does not exceed 26% of the total organic carbon in the extracts.