Preservation of organic matter in soils of a climo-biosequence in the Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia

Limited information is available about factors of soil organic carbon (SOC) preservation in soils along a climo-biosequence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of soil texture and mineralogy on preservation of SOC in the topsoil and subsoil along a climo-biosequence in the Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia. Soil samples from the A and B-horizons of four representative soil profiles were subjected to particle-size fractionation and mineralogical analyses including X-ray diffraction and selective dissolution. The proportion of SOC in the 250-2000 μm fraction (SOC associated with coarse sand) decreased while the proportion of SOC in the