Activite biologique des sols, modalités et lithodépendance

In the first part of this paper, the qualitative and quantitative role of brown pigments in leaf litter is emphasized. In general, these products contain mainly nitrogen and are relatively resistant to mineralization. Earthworms and white rot fungi are considered the primary metabolizers of these complex compounds, whereas bacteria, enchytraeids and microarthropods seem to play a minor role in biodegradation of these compounds. The biodynamic behaviour of these compounds may account for the formation of mull, which is usually linked to high activity of earthworms and white rot fungi. On the other hand, moder formation is mainly carried out by activities of enchytraeids and different microarthropods in another type of litter with other properties, both in quantity as well as in quality. In the second part of this review, some examples are given which stress the role of the inorganic composition of the parent material (for example, the percentage of Fe in the C horizon derived from Rhetian sandstone) for biological activity in the corresponding soil. The effect of mineral nutrients applied by man are also discussed. In general the presence and activities of the various organisms and their biocoenoses depend largely upon the environmental conditions, the type and amount of organic litter and the productivity of the entire ecosystem.