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In deze doctorale dissertatie werd de organische stof (OS) uit bodems van huidige ecosystemen en uit palaeobodems (laatste interglaciale en vroeg glaciale periode) aan een onderzoek onderworpen met behulp van pyrolyse-GC/MS. Het doel van de studie was om na te gaan of het klimaat en de vegetatie hun sporen achterlaten in de samenstelling van de OS (de zogenaamde 'humus vingerafdruk') en of deze samenstelling kan worden gebruikt als proxy-variabele in het ontrafelen van het bodemgeheugen.   Het eerste deel van de studie concentreert zich op de OS-samenstelling in huidige ecosystemen. Stalen uit verschillende biomen (i.e. toendra, taiga, steppe, gematigd woud, tropisch woud ) werden vergeleken. Het resultaat toont aan dat de OS-samenstelling uit koudere klimaatgebieden nog erg lijkt op de chemische compositie van vers plantaardig materiaal. In gematigde weersomstandigheden werd er een sterkere microbiële wijziging van de OS aangetroffen. Gematigde naaldhoutbossen vertonen accumulatie van aromatische en alifatische verbindingen. Tropische OS wordt gekenmerkt door N-verbindingen, zonder enige accumulatie van moeilijk afbreekbare fracties. Deze observaties werden gevalideerd door ze samen te brengen in een 'beslisboommodel', dat gebruikt werd om nieuwe stalen toe te wijzen aan bepaalde biomen. In de meeste gevallen was deze toewijzing correct, wat impliceert dat the waarnemingen in dit hoofdstuk breed toepasbaar zijn. De resultaten wijzen erop dat de OS-samenstelling in verschillende biomen vooral bepaald wordt door (i) de kwaliteit van de input (bepaald door de vegetatie) en (ii) de OS-afbraak (bepaald door vegetatie en klimaat). Naast deze verschillen op grote schaal werd ook de regionale invloed nagegaan van sitekenmerken zoals beheer, voorgeschiedenis, bodemeigenschappen en totale koolstofinhoud. Stalen werden genomen in gematigde bossen met Grove den, Beuk, Zomereik en hybride populier, en met een verschillende bodemtextuur en bodemvochtgehalte. De invloed van de boomsoort was prominent aanwezig in de OS-samenstelling. De resultaten doen vermoeden dat de kwaliteit de input aan de basis ligt van dit effect, en dat die de functionele eigenschappen van de micro-organismen in de bodem bepaalt. In oligotrofe ecosystemen met lage inputkwaliteit worden moeilijk afbreekbare componenten (alifaten en aromaten) niet afgebroken, zodat ze zich ophopen in de bodem. In eutrofe systemen met hoge inputkwaliteit worden geen ophopingen van bepaalde chemische fracties waargenomen. Voormalig heidegebied, dat nu bebost is,heeft nog een sterk afwijkende OS-samenstelling na meer dan 60 jaar, wat erop wijst dat de factor chemische afbreekbaarheid moet worden geëvalueerd in het kader van de eigenschappen van het ecosysteem. Het tweede deel spitst zich toe op de analyse van palaeobodems uit de laaste interglaciale en vroeg glaciale periode. Het heeft tot doel na te gaan of de OS- samenstelling kan worden gebruikt om informatie te vergaren over de vorming van deze bodems. De Rocourtbodem in de Veldwezelt Hezerwater opgraving werd gekozen als gevalstudie. Eerst werd een gedetailleerd palaeo-pedologisch beeld getekend van de Rocourtbodem aan de hand van macro- en micromorfologie, X-stralen diffractie en dieptefuncties van korrelgroottesamenstelling, totale Fe, Al, Mn, K, Na, Ca, C en P-concentratie, pH en elektrisch geleidingsvermogen. De resultaten tonen aan dat de Rocourtbodem polygenetisch is en sterk beïnvloed werd door vorst. De onderste Rocourt B horizont vertoont duidelijke klei-illuviatie, sporen van ijssegregatie en uitloging van colloïden door smeltwater. De andere B- horizonten zijn slechts zwak ontwikkeld en micromorfologie toont aan dat een substantieel deel van de kleihuidjes werd gevormd nadat de bodem reeds dieper begraven was. Een koude periode lag aan de basis van de vorming van de onderste A horizont en van de E horizont (die banden en een polygonaal patroon van barsten vertoont). De bovenliggende A horizont werd gevormd gedurende een relatief stabiele periode. De bovenste A horizonten werden gevormd in meer dynamische omstandigheden. Vervolgens werd de in Veldwezelt-Hezerwater gevonden OS onderzocht en vergeleken met de totale C concentratie, de stabiele-isotopensamenstelling en de korrelgrootteanalyse. De resultaten tonen weerom aan dat de onderste A horizont gevormd werd tijdens een koude periode. Deze periode werd gevolgd door een warmere en stabielere periode, die aanleiding gaf tot sterk afgebroken organisch materiaal en een hoge microbiële invloed. Hoger in het profiel daalden de afbraak en de microbiële activiteit opnieuw. Tevens trad er een verschuiving op in the stabiele-isotopensamenstelling, verhoogde de U-ratio en werden er sporen van brand teruggevonden in de OS-samenstelling. Hoewel de chemische eigenschappen van de fossiele OS sterk verschillen van OS uit huidige bodems, was het toch mogelijk om gedetailleerde informatie te bekomen aangaande de afbraak en de microbiële activiteit, die consistent was met de andere eigenschappen van de bodem. Tenslotte werden de mogelijkheden van Midden Infrarood Spectroscopy (MIRS) en thermostabiliteit geëvalueerd bij het bestuderen van palaeobodems. Het groeperen van stalen aan de hand van clusteranalyse bleek een effectief hulpmiddel in het afbakenen van bodemhorizonten. Verder bood partiële kleinstekwadratenregressie de mogelijkheid om dieptefuncties van C, N en H concentraties te voorspellen aan de hand van een minimaal aantal stalen. Ten slotte toonde een trapsgewijze analyse van de thermostabiliteit aan dat deze techniek interessant kan zijn voor het verder bestuderen van de eigenschappen van OS in palaeobodems. In this dissertation, the chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM) in present-day ecosystems and last-interglacial early-glacial palaeosols was studied by pyrolysis-GC/MS. The aim was to establish if environmental conditions, in particular climate and vegetation, leave their mark on the humic fingerprint of the soil and if SOM chemistry can be used as a proxy variable in soil memory studies. The first part of this dissertation focused on the SOM composition in present-day ecosystems and its relation to climate, vegetation and site factors on a global and on a regional scale. The composition of 18 topsoil samples taken under different biomes (i.e tundra, taiga, steppe, temperate forest and tropical forest) was compared using pyrolyis-GC/MS. Results indicate that extractable SOM from cold climates (tundra, taiga) still resembles the composition of litter. This was evidenced by high quantities of levosugars and long alkanes and a clear odd-over-even dominance of the mid-chain and long alkanes. Under temperate conditions, a more microbially altered SOM chemistry was encountered. An accumulation of aromatic and aliphatic moieties was observed under temperate coniferous forests. Tropical SOM was characterized by N-components, without any accumulation of recalcitrant fractions. These observations were validated by grouping them in a decision tree model, which was used to assign new blind samples to biomes. The decision tree proved effective in most cases, suggesting that the observations reported in this chapter are widely applicable. Results entail that SOM chemistry in different biomes is primarily and consistently dominated by (i) SOM input composition related to vegetation, and (ii) SOM breakdown reflecting climate and input quality. No evidence was found for a chemically stabilized SOM fraction under favorable decomposition conditions. When substrate quality is poor, mainly aromatic and aliphatic moieties accumulate, whereas cold conditions conserve the chemical composition of the vegetation. Next to these large scale differences in SOM features, the influence of smaller scale site characteristics needed further exploration. The aim of chapter 4 therefore was to assess the influence of different site characteristics (i.e.management of the standing biomass, site history, soil properties, total organic carbon content and indicators for microbial influence) on the SOM composition. These site characteristics were evaluated on a regional scale for temperate forests (Flanders, Belgium). The chemical composition of the extracted topsoil SOM was analysed by pyrolysis-GC/MS. Samples were taken on plots under domination of common European tree species (Scots pine, European beech, Pedunculate oak and hybrid poplar), and with a different soil texture and soil moisture. SOM chemistry of the plots was correlated to site variables. Despite of a typical high inter-correlation of these variables, the influence of the dominant tree species is prominent, relating to most of the variance in SOM chemistry. Factor analysis suggests that this effect may be controlled by litter quality and its influence on the functional properties of the soil's microbial community. In oligotrophic ecosystems with low litter quality, the decomposition of relatively recalcitrant components (i.e. short and mid-chain alkanes/alkenes and aromatic components) is hampered, causing a relative accumulation of these components in the soil. However, if substrate quality is favorable, no accumulation of recalcitrant components was observed, even under high soil moisture conditions. Former heathland vegetation still has a profound influence on the SOM composition of young pine forests after a minimum of 60 years, indicating that the importance of chemical recalcitrance depends on ecosystem characteristics. The second part of the dissertation focuses on the study of last-interglacial early-glacial palaeosols on loess. It aims to evaluate whether the environmental signal in the SOM chemistry, observed in present-day soils in the previous chapters, is applicable to soil memory studies. The Rocourt pedosequence at the Veldwezelt-Hezerwater archeological excavation site was chosen as a case study. The validity of the results obtained by pyrolysis-GC/MS was evaluated by comparing them to an extensive array of soil characteristics. Chapter 5 focuses on establishing a detailed palaeopedological record of the Veldwezelt-Hezerwater quarry, in order to obtain consistent information on soil formation. Macro- and micromorphological features, X-ray diffraction and small interval depth functions of grain-size distribution. Total Fe, Al, Mn, K, Na and Ca content, pH, electrical conductivity, Fe and Al forms and C and P contents were evaluated. Results suggest that the pedocomplex is polygenetic, intensely welded and influenced by frost action. The lower Rocourt B horizon clearly shows important clay illuviation, altered by reticulate ice segregation and eluviation of colloids by meltwater. The overlying Rocourt B horizons are only weakly developed and micromorphological analysis indicates that a large part of the observed clay coatings were formed when the soil was no longer near the surface. A cold period induced the formation of the lower A horizon, the banded E horizon, the polygonal cracking pattern and a closed box prismatic system. The overlying A horizon formed under a relatively stable period, while the upper A horizons were formed as an accretionary soil under more dynamic conditions. Chapter 6 aimed to study the characteristics of the SOM found in the Rocourt A horizons at Veldwezelt-Hezerwater. The fingerprints of the extractable SOM of different soil units are related to total organic carbon content, 813C and grain-size analysis. Combined results indicate that the lower unit of the humic complex reflects a cold period, followed by stable soil surface that allowed SOM build-up, intensive microbial activity and high decomposition. Higher in the profile, decomposition and microbial activity decrease. This is supported by a shift in the isotopic signal, an increased U-ratio and evidence of wildfires in the SOM. Although the chemical composition of the extracted SOM differed greatly from recent SOM, fingerprinting yielded detailed information associated with decomposition and microbial alteration of the SOM. Reconstruction of the palaeo-environment based on the humic fingerprint, was consistent with the palaeopedological record obtained in chapter 5. Finally, the possibilities of DRIFT Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy (MIRS) and thermostability in unraveling the soil memory were explored in chapter 7. The chapter aims to evaluate this technique for determining master horizons, predicting depth functions and evaluating SOM properties of the Rocourt pedocomplex at Veldwezelt- Hezerwater. MIRS spectra of soil samples were grouped based on cluster analysis. This procedure proved valuable in delimiting stratigraphic formations and soil master horizons, whereas visual interpretation of the spectra allowed assessing some of the main differences between soil horizons. Partial Least-Squares Regression of MIRS spectra enabled the accurate prediction of depth functions of C, N, H, C/N-ratio and aromaticity based on only one measured sample per soil horizon. Stepwise MIRS-thermostability analysis yielded promising results regarding the thermostability of the samples, which seemed to be in line with previous Pyrolysis-GC/MS results. Bodem organische stof Naast minerale deeltjes, water en lucht bevat de bodem ook organisch materiaal ('humus'). Dit organische materiaal is een complex mengsel van allerhande soorten moleculen. De samenstelling van dit mengsel is het resultaat van een wisselwerking tussen de toevoer van plantenresten enerzijds en processen in het bodemecosysteem anderzijds. Deze processen zijn echter verre van begrepen, waardoor onze kennis aangaande de relaties tussen plantaardige input, omgevingsfactoren en organische moleculen in de bodem voorlopig erg beperkt is. Nochtans is deze samenstelling van groot belang, bijvoorbeeld voor de werking van het bodemecosysteem en voor het voorspellen van de effecten van de klimaatsverandering op de bodem. Vingerafdrukken in de bodem De samenstelling van de bodem organische stof kan in detail bestudeerd worden aan de hand van een techniek die pyrolyse-gaschromatografie/massaspectrometrie (pyrolyse-GC/MS) heet. De organische stof wordt eerst uit de bodem gehaald en vervolgens gecontroleerd verbrand (pyrolyse), zodat ze gasvormig wordt. De moleculen aanwezig in dit gas worden gescheiden en geïdentificeerd aan de hand van GC/MS, ook hun relatieve verhoudingen kunnen worden bepaald. Het resultaat van deze analyse heet een pyrogram of 'humusvingerafdruk'. Het doel van dit werk was na te gaan welke omgevingsfactoren een invloed hebben op deze humusvingerafdruk. Ook de omgekeerde relatie werd nagegaan: kunnen we de humusvingerafdruk van een bodem gebruiken om uitspraken te doen over het klimaat en de vegetatie waaronder deze bodem gevormd werd? Wat bepaalt de humusvingerafdruk in de bodem? Om na te gaan welk effect klimaat en vegetatie hebben op de samenstelling van de bodem organischestof werd de humusvingerafdruk van bodems uit verschillende ecosystemen vergeleken. Ten eerste werden bodems uit de tundra, taiga, gematigd woud en tropisch woud (verschillende 'biomen') geanalyseerd. Het resultaat wijst op duidelijke verschillen tussen deze biomen: in de humusvingerafdruk van bodems uit de tundra en de taiga blijken nog moleculen aanwezig die erg lijken op plantaardig materiaal. Het koude klimaat heeft de afbraak van deze stoffen kennelijk verhinderd. In gematigd woud vinden we een vingerafdruk terug die sterker gewijzigd is door bodemmicro-organismen, maar er is een groot verschil tussen naaldbos en loofbos. De slechte kwaliteit van het plantaardig materiaal afkomstig van naaldbomen heeft tot gevolg dat bepaalde types van slecht afbreekbare moleculen (aromaten en alifaten) zich gaan opstapelen in de bodem. De vingerafdruk van tropisch woud tenslotte bleek zeer sterk gewijzigd, zonder opstapeling van bepaalde types van moleculen. Ook was het mogelijk om op basis van de humusvingerafdruk te voorspellen uit welk bioom de bodem afkomstig was. Ten tweede werd binnen de gematigde bossen de invloed van andere omgevingsfactoren nagegaan, zoals bodemtype, bodemnutriënten, beheer, voorgeschiedenis... ook hieruit bleek dat de kwaliteit van het plantaardig materiaal erg belangrijk was. Op arme bodems onder naaldwoud was er een opstapeling van slecht afbreekbaar materiaal en bleef de invloed van vorig landgebruik (heide) meer dan 60 jaar later nog duidelijk zichtbaar. Op rijke bodems onder loofwoud met hoge bladkwaliteit (zoals populier, es, els en linde) waren er veel microbieel gewijzigde producten te vinden, zonder opstapeling van bepaalde types van moleculen. De invloed van vorig landgebruik werd al na enkele jaren uitgewist. Dieper graven: over vroegere klimaatsveranderingen en Neanderthalers In het tweede deel van het doctoraatswerk werd de 'Rocourtbodem' uit de laaste interglaciale periode bestudeerd. Deze bodem bevat humeuze horizonten die 70.000 à 80.000 jaar oud zijn en bevindt zich in 'Veldwezelt-Hezerwater', een groeve in Oost-Limburg

Type de paléosol --- Palaeosolic soil types --- Matière organique du sol --- soil organic matter --- Écosystème --- ecosystems --- Végétation --- vegetation --- Facteur climatique --- climatic factors --- Propriété physicochimique du sol --- soil chemicophysical properties --- Biologie du sol --- Soil biology --- Belgium --- Academic collection --- 631.417 --- 551.583 --- Organic chemistry of soil --- Variations of climate. Climatic change --- Theses --- 551.583 Variations of climate. Climatic change --- 631.417 Organic chemistry of soil --- vegetation.

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Eradicating hunger, ensuring food security and ending poverty for a growing world population in a changing climate are a prominent part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). Sustainable intensification in existing agriculture and exploitation of under-utilized crops is needed to achieve those goals. One such an under-utilized crop is enset (Ensete ventricosum) which is native to Ethiopia. Enset is tolerant to recurrent droughts and has a high yield potential. Research on enset agronomy and farm management practices is limited, and there is almost no information on soil microbial symbionts, which can play a vital role in the sustainability of smallholder farming systems. One of these microbial symbionts are Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) which co-evolved with a majority of terrestrial plants. The AMF symbiosis is a win-win scenario in which host plants provide carbon compounds to the fungus and in return, AMF provide several benefits to the host plants such as increased water and nutrient uptake and even protection against some pests. Therefore, it is crucial to know farm management practices which affect AMF communities and to evaluate the performance of selected AMF inoculants.To this end, we performed two observational and two experimental studies. The first observational study compared AMF diversity and community composition in wild and cultivated enset, taking into account farm and wild enset site variability. Our results show a difference in AMF communities between cultivated and wild enset roots. AMF diversity is lower in cultivated enset compared to wild enset. Analyses further confirm AMF diversity and richness in wild enset roots being sensitive to increasing levels of available P in the soil. Moreover, soil pH and available P were selected as soil chemical properties changing AMF community composition. The second observational study investigated the intensity of cattle manure application on AMF diversity and community composition. Both intensively and less manured parts of the enset farms contained primarily species belonging to the Glomeraceae family, which accounted for 67% of the total operational taxonomic records. Intensive manuring enhanced soil nutrient availability and soil organic carbon but results in lower AMF richness and diversity, and a change in AMF community composition. Moreover, organic carbon and total N explained a larger part of the variation in AMF community composition compared to available P.In the experimental studies, the performance of indigenous and commercial AMF inoculants on enset growth and P uptake were evaluated. In the first pot experiment, we tested whether commercial and indigenous AMF inoculants can influence the growth of enset differently in soils differing in texture. We used commercial inoculants from three different genera, i.e. Funnelliformis mosseae (BEG12), Rhizophagus clarus (BEG 142), and Gigaspora margarita (BEG34) and a wild inoculant, and examined root colonization, enset growth and leaf P contents of enset plants in two different soil materials, collected from two locations in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, i.e. Dorze and Gircha. Results show that most growth parameters did not significantly differ between AMF inoculated and uninoculated plants in both soils. However, wild AMF and BEG142 inoculations significantly increased fresh shoot weight by 40% compared with uninoculated plants in Dorze soil. Moreover, wild AMF and BEG142 inoculated plants were found to be efficient in supplying P compared with BEG34 in Dorze soil. In both soils, wild AMF inoculated enset plants exhibited the highest mycorrhizal dependence (%MD), reaching a maximum of 50%. Sandier texture in Gircha soil favoured BEG34 root colonization over clayey soil in Dorze soil. AMF inoculation influences also soil available P and interaction effects exist between AMF inoculant and soil type with regard to soil organic carbon. Overall, wild AMF was better than other AMF inoculants in promoting enset plant growth and P uptake. Hence, for enset inoculation, wild AMF inoculum can be considered in future research.In the second pot experiment, we investigated whether different cow manure levels (0, 5, and 15%) in the potting soil and two sources of AMF inoculum (wild AMF and commercial BEG142) influence AMF root colonization, enset growth and leaf P contents. Results show that increasing manure levels improve soil chemical properties, but AMF inoculations had less effect on these properties. In general, increasing manure levels increased consistently enset growth, but either wild or BEG142 inoculation did not prompt enset growth within the 7-month timescale of our experiment. However, at 0% manure with low percent root colonization, wild AMF inoculum provided a positive mycorrhizal effectiveness.

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The provision of forest ecosystem services heavily depends on the ecosystem function of nutrient cycling, in which the belowground ecosystem compartment plays a fundamental role. An essential pathway in such nutrient cycling is the return of nutrients to the soil via leaf litterfall. Although much soil ecological research has been executed throughout the years, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying belowground functioning remains partial, most likely due to the complexity and opacity of this nurturing underworld. In this thesis we aimed at contributing to such understanding in relation to leaf litter effects of different tree species. First, we sought to disentangle the interactions at the plant-soil interface and evaluate how abiotic and biotic factors underlie the context-dependency of litter effects. Second, this thesis further explores the concept of admixing rich litter species as a management measure to restore acidified sandy forest soils.The first objective was addressed in two fundamental Chapters (2 and 3). Chapter 2 shows that the impact of forest conversion differs depending on the edaphic context, here a pedogenic threshold in soil acid buffering. We found that upon conversion from broadleaved mixed forest to Norway spruce monoculture, a shift in soil buffering domain occurred, triggering multiple concurrent changes including the build-up in the litter layer, an increase in acidity, a pronounced decrease in microbial functional diversity and earthworm biomass, a collapse of base saturation and even a change in the way carbon is sequestered. Subsequently we illustrated how burrowing earthworms can reinforce litter effects in some soils but not in others, using a dataset of European forests. The existence of a positive feedback loop in which burrowing earthworms maintain their own niche - by promoting turnover rate in the forest floor, thereby increasing topsoil pH and creating suitable living conditions for themselves - was evidenced for acidic forest soils. As most of our world's forests are located on soils vulnerable to acidification, the regulation by pedogenic thresholds (Chapter 2) and the pivotal role of earthworms (Chapter 3) should be taken into account in future research efforts and when making forest management decisions, so that the typical context-dependent conclusions could be supported by more mechanistic and spatially explicit understanding.In the second, more applied, part of this thesis (Chapter 4, 5 and 6) we built further on the concept of admixing rich litter species as a forest management measure to restore degraded forest soil systems, particularly those located on Pleistocene sandy deposits. In Chapter 4, we re-defined litter quality for West-European forests on Pleistocene aeolian deposits: rich litter is leaf litter that has high concentrations of calcium, magnesium and potassium and thereby promotes earthworm abundance and fast nutrient cycling. We found a negligible impact of leaf litter C/N ratio on the forest floor and belowground acidity status, which could be linked to the overload of nitrogen already present in the studied systems due to the high N-deposition in the region. Moreover, we identified which rich litter species have potential to counteract soil acidification, improve the soil nutrient status and promote fast nutrient cycling and corresponding organic matter turnover. Chapter 5 illustrates, in laboratory conditions, that admixing rich litter of black cherry with poor litter of pedunculate oak may promote the decomposition of oak itself via synergistic effects. Finally, Chapter 6 illustrates that when rich litter is admixed in-situ, large shares of high-quality litter (and thus tree admixture) are needed to have a considerable impact on the soil chemical status. This translates into high amounts of rich litter tree species admixture in terms of share in the basal area (>30%).Further research is needed to evaluate whether, where and when the improved nutrient availability in the soil, as a consequence of rich litter admixture, feeds back to aboveground nutrient uptake and improved vitality of the overall ecosystem. Additionally, future studies should take into account root litter input, next to leaf litter, and further translate the process of nutrient cycling to soil carbon sequestration.Taken together, this research shows the pervasive impact litter quality can have on belowground functioning and how site conditions (soil type) and earthworm activity can modulate that impact. Its outcomes also emphasize the potential for forest managers to use tree species selection (as a function of litter quality) for steering belowground functioning and counteracting soil acidification processes. Which could, in turn, affect the services provided by the aboveground forest ecosystem compartment.

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Soil degradation is one of the major problems that occur worldwide and it causes biodiversity loss, desertification, soil erosion, flooding, salinization, soil acidification and nutrient leaching. The general consequence of soil degradation is the loss of ecosystem services for humans. Hence, soil restoration is a big challenge these days. The Campine region, situated in north-east of Flanders and part of the south-eastern Netherlands, consists of poor sandy soils that are often degraded and highly acidified. Despite a low soil quality, this region is the largest forested area of Flanders, mainly planted by monocultures of conifers and oak birch climax vegetation. This study aims at reversing soil degradation by use of rich-litter tree species. In more detail, the impact of the rich-litter tree species black cherry (Prunus serotina) on the soil is examined in six study sites located in the Campine region. Moreover, the extent of this rich-litter effect is studied, by evaluating the soil under a neighbouring poor-litter species, pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). Both humus and soil characteristics under this oak are compared with the soil under a reference oak, that is only surrounded by other oaks and does not experience effects of any rich-litter species. This comparative triplet (black cherry, oak under influence and reference oak) has been replicated 24 times. Soil samples of the topsoil (0-10 cm) and the subsoil (20-30 cm) are taken at three sampling locations: A (black cherry), B (oak under influence) and C (reference oak). Humus descriptions are made at 5 sampling locations along the gradient between black cherry and the neighbouring oak, in comparison with humus profiles under the reference. Statistical analysis is done by performing Student’s t-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests to identify significant differences between the sampling locations A, B and C. This study confirms the soil improving effect of black cherry: the humus quality under black cherry is on average significantly higher compared to the reference oak (p < 0.05). In 16 triplets out of 24, an ameliorating effect on the humus under black cherry is observed. On average, topsoil base cations, base saturation, aluminium (Al), calcium (Ca), nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) content, proportion organic matter (OM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) are higher under black cherry. The next objective is to determine whether the rich-litter effect is large enough to have a positive influence under a neighbouring oak. Chemical analysis of the topsoil samples show higher mean concentrations of base cations and a higher OM proportion for the oak under influence compared to the reference oak. The results are site-specific: Genk and Veldhoven demonstrate stronger rich-litter effects because of their high clay and low sand content relative to the other study sites. More study sites need to be included to detect extra significant differences between both oaks and to evaluate the magnitude of the rich-litter effect of black cherry on the soil.