Decomposition of organic matter in organic horizons of forest soils in laboratory conditions

The results of a laboratory experiment on the determination of the rate of decomposition of native and added organic matter labeled by C-14 in organic horizons of soils of the Transeuropean transect and southern taiga catena at different temperatures are analyzed. It is found that the rate of minera lization of both native and added organic matter varies widely and does not notably correlate with climatic conditions. The tendency for a decrease in the rate of mineralization of native organic matter with an increase in hy dromorphism is revealed for soils sampled from the catena.