Soil macrofungi and some soil biological, biochemical and chemical investigations on the upper and lower slope of a spruce forest.

Abstract Throughout a year a number or biological, biochemical and chemical factors were investigated in four different horizons on the upper and lower slope of a spruce forest. At both sites, the soil biological and biochemical processes investigated were restricted mainly to the humus layer and in the top 5 cm of the mineral soil horizons. The soil physical conditions posed no restrictions on microbial activity. In contrast, the soil chemical conditions were less favorable to microbial activity on the upper and the lower slope. The soil chemical, biological and biochemical conditions were generally less favourable on the lower slope than on the upper slope. Significant differences between the upper and lower slope were found in the NO 3 − −N concentrations in the soil solution, the pH H 2 O (OH layer and 0–5 cm soil depth), the basidiocarp biomass production, the number of bacterial cfu (OF layer), and the PDE activity (OH layer). The significantly higher concentration of NO − 3 in the soil solution on the lower slope is discussed as a possible cause of the lower biological and biochemical activities on this site.