Vegetation Effects on Soil Organic Matter Chemistry of Aggregate Fractions in a Hawaiian Forest

We examined chemical changes from leaf tissue to soil organic matter (SOM) to determine the persistence of plant chemistry into soil aggregate fractions. We characterized a slow (Dicranopteris linearis) and fast-decomposing species (Cheirodendron trigynum) and surface (O), and subsurface (A-horizon) SOM beneath each species using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS), with and without derivatization. The live tissues of Dicranopteris had greater lignin content whereas Cheirodendron had a greater lipid, N-bearing, and polysaccharide component. Despite this difference in leaf chemistry, SOM chemistry was similar between soil aggregate fractions, but different between horizons. The O-horizon contained primarily lignin and polysaccharide biomarkers whereas the A-horizon contained polysaccharide, aromatic, and N-derived compounds, indicating considerable microbial processing of plant litter. The soils beneath Cheirodendron inherited a greater lipid signal composed of cutin and suberin biomarkers whereas the soils beneath Dicranopteris contained greater aromatic biomarker content, possibly derived from plant lignins. The soils beneath both species were more similar to root polysaccharides, lipids, and lignins than aboveground tissue. This study indicates that although plant-derived OM is processed vigorously, species-specific biomarkers and compound class differences persist into these soils and that differences in plant chemical properties may influence soil development even after considerable reworking of plant litter by microorganisms.