INCORPORATION OF NATURAL ALCOHOLS FROM PLANT RESIDUES INTO A HYDROMORPHIC FOREST-PODZOL

The proportion of alcohols in soil lipids was studied in an hydromorph ic forest-podzol. The L and F litter layers and the soil A 1 horizon w ere sampled and analysed for total lipid and total alcohol contents. T otal alcohols were separated into four fractions: primary alkanols, se condary alkanols, sterols and triterpenic alcohols. From the L layer t o the soil A 1 horizon, all the fractions decreased sharply, except fr ee primary alkanols and sterols. The decomposition of secondary alkano ls was virtually complete. New odd-chain primary alkanols were generat ed and new hopanoid alcohols (triterpenic alcohols), considered as mar kers of bacterial origin, were detected in the A1 horizon. In the ster ol fraction, the same components were observed in all the samples with changes concerning only their relative proportions.