Vegetation history of chernozems in the Czech Republic

International audienceChernozem is a soil type which can be characterised by a thick dark surface horizon, which consists of organic matter and tends to change into a carbonate horizon or more often into a loess horizon. Chernozem is defined as a zonal soil that has developed under steppe vegetation in a dry continental climate. Nevertheless, chernozems can also be found in central Europe, where there are no climatic conditions for the existence of any steppe. This study is focused on the vegetational aspect of the pedogenesis of chernozems. We have examined three sorts of chernozems for their charcoal and pedological characteristics: the functional chernozems, the chernozems buried in Holocene material and the chernozems buried in Pleistocene material. The charcoal examination has proved the presence of woodland taxa in the areas of chernozems at different periods of time. The results of this study reveal that the high stability of soil organic matter has caused the persistence of chernozems in the areas with prevalent woodland vegetation