Mapping and assessment-based modeling of soil fertility differences in the central and eastern parts of the Black Sea region using GIS and geostatistical approaches

This study was carried out on arable lands of the central and eastern Black Sea regions including eight provinces (Artvin, Giresun, Gümü?hane, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Sinop, and Trabzon). The present study aims to generate a soil fertility map for agricultural lands in the central and eastern parts of the Black Sea region. The main objective of this research is to quantify soil fertility by developing a soil fertility index (SFI) model at the regional level. The related objectives were to map the spatial distribution of soil fertility by using auxiliary variables and to model soil fertility within the study region. To accomplish this, a data set for soil fertility differences was collected and a model was developed to predict the spatial distribution of differences across the region. The study area was divided into 2.5 × 2.5-km grid squares. A total of 3400 soil samples were collected from the surface (0–20 cm) of each grid intersection point. The geostatistical method was used to generate the SFI distribution map of the study area for surface soils. Of the total study area, 93.76% had good (S1) or moderately fertile (S2) soil while 6.15% of the area had marginally fertile (S3) soil. Only a very small area (N) had low-fertility soil.     

An evaluation of the contribution of soil micromorphology to the study of ancient arable agriculture

This article provides an overview of the development of soil micromorphological studies of ancient agriculture and the current position of research in this field. The stance adopted by the authors is deliberately combative, and it is hoped that the article will stimulate discussion of the current limitations and potentialities of the technique. The findings of this review may be summarized in three proposals: (1) Soil micromorphology cannot be used at present to identify cultivation in ancient soils. Ambiguous or multiple interpretations of soil micromorphological features are unlikely to be resolved, so that the detection of large scale agricultural features in the field (cultivation marks, lynchets) will remain the most secure and direct guides to the presence of a former cultivated soil. Indirect evidence on inferred land use can be provided from pollen and land snail evidence. (2) Micromorphology should retain a key role in the determination of the impact of agriculture on soils, encompassing issues such as erosion, soil structure, fertility, and biological activity. These can be related to agricultural practice: methods of tillage, manuring, soil conservation, and fallowing. (3) Three areas of micromorphological research can be proposed that address the impact of agriculture on soil: (a) the study of well-sealed, buried agricultural soils which have a clearly understood archaeological context; (b) the study of recent soils with known agricultural histories; (c) the establishment of controlled experiments with ancient agricultural techniques. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A critical political ecology of cotton and soil fertility in Mali

The aim of this article is to analyse the influence of commodified cotton production on soil fertility in southern Mali. From the late 1950s and until recently, production of both cash-crop cotton and food crops have increased rapidly in this region, giving it a reputation of being an African ‘success story’. The flip side of this economic success is, however, said to be environmental degradation especially in terms of loss of soil fertility. We collected 273 soil samples in 19 villages located in various zones of land use intensity. In each village, the samples were collected on up to six different land use types varying with intensification. The analysis of the soil samples showed that soil fertility was highest in the sacred groves that have been protected and never cultivated. However, comparing soils under continuous cultivation and soils under fallow no clear trends in soil fertility were found. Cotton yields have declined since the early 1990s, while the total use of fertilisers has increased. This is often interpreted as proof of soil exhaustion, but there is no clear indication in this study that cotton-cereal rotation as practiced by smallholders in southern Mali reduces soil fertility. We argue that the decline in yields has been caused by an extensification process. Cotton fields expanded rapidly, due to attractive cotton prices in the 1990s, leading to falling investments per ha and cultivation of more marginal lands. These findings also have implications for a political ecology of commodity production and lead us to argue for an open-ended and empirically based ‘critical political ecology’.     

The use of ground rocks in laterite systems: An improvement to the use of conventional soluble fertilizers?

The geochemistry of lateritic terrains is discussed in terms of nutrient demand in agriculture. The data presented show a dramatic depletion of virtually all nutrients when compared to crustal levels and other soil systems. Increasing world demand for food production, particularly in tropical countries where alcohol production is also needed, has forced the agriculture frontier deep into lateritic areas. As cultivation is intensified the laterite becomes more barren and a neutral recipient for the massive doses of nutrients that are to be constantly added if production is to continue. Conventional soluble fertilizers such as NPK do not answer basic requirements. Designed for the high-nutrient and high-exchange-capacity soils of the northern hemisphere they are not held by the Fe₂O₃---Al₂O₃---SiO₂---H₂O laterite systems and, under condition of excess rain, they can be wasted and consequently polluting. Furthermore, they do not supply a variety of both macro- and micronutrient elements that are normally present in soils in equilibrium with rock debris, but that are lacking in laterites. The replenishment of the laterite to the nutrient levels of natural fertile soils can be basically attained by adding into the system ground rocks of varied composition. The thermodynamical and geochemical background of this proposition is discussed and the state of the art is presented.     

The formation of farm mounds on the Island of Sanday,Orkney

A recent archaeological site survey of the island of Sanday on Orkney has identified a distinct concentration of 15 farm mounds. An immediate need is to determine the nature, age, and processes of formation of these very distinctive landform features. This paper reports a geoarchaeological investigation of three mounds at Westbrough, Langskaill, and Skelbrae. For the island as a whole, the mounds vary in diameter from 50 to 205 m, with deposits up to a thickness of 4.3 m. The mounds vary in their morphology, reflecting complex processes of accumulation, often intense disturbance, and in some cases, erosion by the sea. Sections at the three sites are described with analytical data also being given for particle size, percent loss-on-ignition, total phosphate, δ¹³C, and radiocarbon dating. The Westbrough and Skelbrae mounds were formed post-7th century A.D.; more detailed dating was possible for the Langskaill site, which was initiated in the early to mid 13th century. A steady and relatively rapid sedimentation rate (ca. 1.9 cm year⁻¹) took place over the 200 years following the initiation of the mound. The lower part of the Westbrough mound is distinguished by the presence of peat, interpreted as discarded bedding material, but the remainder of the investigated sections are composed dominantly of mineral sediments containing organic matter of terrestrial origin. It is suggested that these materials accumulated from the ash of domestic hearths as well as from the residues of bedding material from the byres (cattle sheds). Turves (vegetation plus some underlying soil) would have been cut, dried, and then used in the byres and such turves would have retained a significant mineral content. The implication is that the inherent fertility of the island made it unnecessary for the farmers to spread the dung over the fields. This may explain why there is the distinct concentration of these mounds on the island of Sanday, an island noted in earlier times for its fertile soils developed on calcareous sands.     

The influence of particles recycling on the geochemistry of sediments in a large tropical dam lake in the Amazonian region,Brazil

As a result of over-erosion of soils, the fine particles, which contain the majority of nutrients, are easily washed away from soils, which become deficient in a host of components, accumulating in lakes. On one hand, the accumulation of nutrients-rich sediments are a problem, as they affect the quality of the overlying water and decrease the water storage capacity of the system; on the other hand, sediments may constitute an important resource, as they are often extremely rich in organic and inorganic nutrients in readily available forms. In the framework of an extensive work on the use of rock related materials to enhance the fertility of impoverish soils, this study aimed to evaluate the role on the nutrients cycle, of particles recycling processes from the watershed to the bottom of a large dam reservoir, at a wet tropical region under high weathering conditions. The study focus on the mineralogical transformations that clay particles undergo from the soils of the drainage basin to their final deposition within the reservoir and their influence in terms of the geochemical characteristics of sediments. We studied the bottom sediments that accumulate in two distinct seasonal periods in Tucuruí reservoir, located in the Amazonian Basin, Brazil, and soils from its drainage basin. The surface layers of sediments in twenty sampling points with variable depths, are representative of the different morphological sections of the reservoir. Nineteen soil samples, representing the main soil classes, were collected near the margins of the reservoir. Sediments and soils were subjected to the same array of physical, mineralogical and geochemical analyses: (1) texture, (2) characterization and semi-quantification of the clay fraction mineralogy and (3) geochemical analysis of the total concentration of major elements, organic compounds (organic C and nitrogen), soluble fractions of nutrients (P and K), exchangeable fractions (cation exchange capacity, exchangeable bases and acidity) and pH(H₂O).There is a remarkable homogeneity in the sedimentary distribution along the reservoir in terms of the texture and mineralogy of the clay fraction and of the chemistry of the total, soluble and exchangeable phases. These observations contrast with the physical, morphological and chemical heterogeneity of the soils and the setting lithology. Most of the sediments has a higher contribution of fine-grained material and the mineralogy of the clay fraction is dominated by kaolinite in soils and kaolinite and illite in sediments, followed by lesser amounts of gibbsite, goethite, and metahaloisite and by small/vestigial contents of chlorite and smectite. The sediments are mainly inherited from the watershed but there exist marked differences between the accumulated sediments and their parent materials. These differences mainly come from the selective erosion of fine-grained particles and the extreme climatic conditions which enhance complex transformations of mineralogical and chemical nature. Compared with the parental soils, the reservoir sediments show the following differences: (1) enrichment in fine-grained and less dense inorganic particles, (2) aggradative mineralogical transformations, including enrichment in clay minerals with higher cationic adsorption and exchange capacity, (3) degradation of the crystalline structure of Fe- and Al-oxides (goethite, gibbsite), (4) increase in easily leached elements (Mg, Ca, P, K, Na) and decrease in chemically less mobile elements (Si, Fe) and (5) higher contents of organic carbon, nitrogen, and soluble forms of P and K, mainly concentrated in the clay fraction. These transformations are extremely important in the nutrients cycle, denoting that sediments represent an efficient sink for nutrients from the over-erosion of soils. Mineral and organic compounds can permanently or temporarily sequester these nutrients, recycling them and enhancing their availability through the slow release of components from relatively loose crystal structures. These processes can easily explain the enrichment in soluble and exchangeable forms of elements such as P, K, Ca or Mg. This study conclude that the particles recycling in a large tropical dam reservoir which receives high fluxes of allochthonous nutrients, has an important role in the good quality of sediments for agricultural use and in the profitable use of this technology to recover depleted soils in remediation projects in regions near large hydroelectric plants.     

西南喀斯特山地水土流失特点及有关石漠化的几个科学问题

由于特殊的岩土组构,喀斯特坡地的水土流失具有如下特点:地表和地下流失相互叠加;地表产流、产沙少;纯碳酸盐岩区地下流失比例大。论文区别了石漠化和石质化的科学内涵,指出了喀斯特山地石漠化的核心是土地的石质化,提出了按照地面物质组成与裸岩率叠加的石漠化分类系统。根据土壤中硅酸盐矿物的物质平衡,提出了不同碎屑岩含量碳酸盐岩区的土壤允许流失量介于5～500 t/(km2?a)之间。喀斯特坡地土壤虽然肥沃,但总量太少,矿质养分不足可能是石质坡地植物生产力低的重要原因。此外,根据农耕驱动土地石质化的机制,提出了相应的石漠化治理的对策建议,具体是:（1）不但要治标,提高植被覆盖率,更要治本,防止或减缓土地石质化,同时还要增加群众收入;（2）按照坡地岩土组成的垂直分带特点,因地（土）制宜,开展治理;（3）重视矿质肥料的施用;（4）在纯碳酸盐岩土石质和石质坡地农田的小型蓄水工程修建中,要加强集流面建设。      

土壤固钾与释钾机制研究进展

根据钾素在土壤中对作物的有效性，可将其分为速效钾、缓效钾和无效钾。各种形态钾素之间存在着渐变性，并处于一种动态平衡，其中，土壤钾素固定与释放对这一平衡产生重要影响，进而影响钾素的有效性。富含 2∶ 1型粘土矿物的土壤，不仅有丰富的缓效钾储量和较强的供钾能力，而且固钾能力也较强。在淋溶性较强的砂质土壤上，固钾作用可使钾素免受淋失，有利于保存肥力和提高肥效。但是，对于多数土壤来说，将使施入土壤的大部分钾素转化为非交换性钾，其中，只有小部分可被当季作物利用。在集约农业条件下，土壤的固定已成为提高钾素利用效率的主要障碍因素。系统阐述了钾素释放与固定的概念与过程，综述了影响钾素固定与释放的主要因素；系统分析了粘土矿物类型及其结构、土壤铵态氮肥和磷肥水平、土壤水分状况、有机物和羟基铝影响钾素固定、释放过程的作用机理；并指出了土壤钾素固定和释放研究领域的发展现状和重要动向。     

Dynamics of soil organic carbon following land-use change: insights from stable C-isotope analysis in black soil of Northeast China

Intensive soil tillage is a significant factor in soil organic matter decline in cultivated soils. Both cultivation abandonment and foregoing tillage have been encouraged in the past 30 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion. However, the dynamic processes of soil organic carbon (SOC) in areas of either continuous cultivation or abandonment remain unclear and inconsistent. Our aims were to assess and model the dynamic processes of SOC under continuous tillage and after cultivation abandonment in the black soil of Northeast China. Soil profiles were collected of cultivated or abandoned land with cultivation history of 0–100 years. An isotope mass balance equation was used to calculate the proportion of SOC derived from corn debris (C₄) and from natural vegetation (C₃) to deduce the dynamic process. Approximately 40% of SOC in the natural surface soil (0–10 cm) was eroded in the first 5 years of cultivation, increasing to about 75% within 40 years, before a slow recovery. C₄ above 30 cm soil depth increased by 4.5%–5% or 0.11–0.12 g·kg^?1 on average per year under continuous cultivation, while it decreased by approximately 0.34% annually in the surface soil after cultivation abandonment. The increase in the percentage of C₄ was fitted to a linear equation with given intercepts in the upper 30 cm of soil in cultivated land. A significant relationship between the change of C₄ and time was found only in the surface soil after abandonment of cultivation. These results demonstrate the loss and accumulation of corn-derived SOC in surface black soil of Northeast China under continuous tillage or cultivation abandonment.     

Land use effects on the properties of an Alfisol on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine the effects of different land-use types on the properties of an Alfisol on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria. Areas being used for nature conservation (forest), grazing and maize cultivation were chosen, and the three are contiguous within a nearly level, moderately well-drained site. Within each of the three land-use areas, a plot of 30 x 20 m was chosen. Each plot was divided into 6 grids of 100 m² size. Within each of these grids, four sampling sites were chosen by throwing up a coin four times. The four surface soil (0–5 cm depth) samples taken at the points where the coin landed, were mixed to form the composite sample, out of which sizeable portion was taken. This means that six soil samples were taken for each land use area (forest, grass, and cultivated). Same procedure was repeated for each of the following soil depths 5–15, 15–30 and 30–50 cm. Laboratory soil analyses were carried out while analysis of variance was used to test the significance of mean difference. The results show that forest clearing for grazing and maize cultivation has lead to significant decreases in most soil fertility variables. Organic matter levels of the grassland and cultivated soils are just about 28% and 13%, respectively, of that of the forest soil in the 0–5 cm depth, while they are 36% and 19%, respectively, in the 5–15 cm depth. Exchangeable cations and effective cation exchange capacity are also significantly higher in the forest soils. The effects are attributable to soil organic matter decomposition and nutrient removal resulting from forest clearance, maize cultivation and grazing. Hence, for sustained agricultural productivity, the soils require adequate inorganic and organic fertilizer additions together with appropriate cultural practices such as agroforestry, crop rotation and mixed cropping involving legumes.     

Quantification of vanadium adsorption by German soils

Vanadium adsorption by soils representing different soil types from Germany has been studied. For 30 soils ‘Freundlich’ type sorption isotherms have been deduced from laboratory vanadium(V) adsorption experiments. The native adsorbed vanadium quantity of a soil (S₀) and the Freundlich parameters m and log k have been determined by non linear regression of the experimental data to the Freundlich model. Pronounced differences in vanadium adsorption of different soils exist and could be quantified. The vanadium adsorption data could be generalized by grouping the soils into four classes according to their vanadium adsorption properties. For each class (sandy soils, top soils, sub soils with pH < 5.5, and sub soils with pH > 5.5) mean Freundlich parameters m and log k have been calculated to be 0.59, 0.72, 0.52, 0.57 and 2.55, 2.89, 4.29, 3.41, respectively. These parameters can be used to estimate vanadium sorption properties of soils for which no vanadium sorption experiments are available. Aqua regia soluble vanadium contents of the studied soils (range 1.7–143 mg/kg; median 32 mg/kg) and leached vanadium concentrations from experiments without vanadium addition (range 0.08–37 µg/l; median 2.1 µg/l) are also given.     

古尔班通古特沙漠与绿洲交错带土地利用变化对土壤特性的影响

对比研究了古尔班通古特沙漠与绿洲交错带8种土地利用类型的土壤特性变化. 结果表明: 不同土地利用类型的土壤粉砂含量差异性显著(P<0.05). 人类活动干扰的时间越长、 强度越大, 粉砂和极细砂含量越高, 而细砂反之. 在人类活动干扰前期(≤5 a), 土壤养分与干扰时间成反比, 而后(＞5 a)与时间成正比. 不同土地利用类型的土壤养分分为4个等级: 1级为盐碱地, 为最高等级; 2级为生态防护林地、 荒草地和天然灌木林地; 3级为10 a农田地、 5 a菜园地和3 a农田地; 4级为5 a农田地, 为最低等级. 人类活动使得土壤盐分由原来的(盐碱土)上层高、 下层低转为上层低、 下层高. 而且盐分与干扰时间成反比. 土地利用变化的过程中, 土壤盐分与Cl^-、 SO₄^2-、 Ca²⁺、 Mg²⁺、 K⁺和Na⁺离子均成正比, 而与HCO₃^-离子成反比. 5 a农田地土壤退化指数(-30.58%)最高, 是其他土地利用类型的1.5~3.9倍.     

Soil cation exchange capacity dynamics under bush fallow in South-Western Nigeria

The trend of change in the cation exchange capacity of ferrallitic soils under bush fallow in south-western Nigeria was examined during the first 10 years following the cessation of cropping. The general trend is that the soil cation exchange capacity increases over time but this increase is largely restricted to the 0–10 cm layer of the soils. Three years of fallowing in the study area was generally inadequate to maintain soil cation exchange capacity at a level that would ensure continued high fertility. It is suggested that a short fallow of 3 years should be accompanied by the application of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers to increase the supply of plant nutrients. Soil percentage base saturation decreased with increasing length of the fallow period, presumably due to nutrient uptake from the soil by fallow vegetation. It is suggested that soils should be limed after a long fallow of >10 years in order to increase soil percentage base saturation and nutrient availability. Organic matter appears to be the main factor influencing the cation exchange capacity of soils under bush fallow in the study area. The effects of fallow vegetation on organic build-up in fallow soil and their implications for managing soil fertility during cropping are discussed.     

Spatial variability of fluorine in agricultural soils around Sidhi District,Central India

The systematic and comprehensive geochemical analysis of fluoride (F) in twenty agricultural soil samples was carried out to understand spatial variability, mechanism of retention and release, and the areas of potential risk due to high concentrations of F in soil around Sidhi District, Central India. The spatial variations in physico-chemical parameters revealed significant difference in the methods of cultivation due to geomorphological constraints, availability of surface water and ground water etc., in the study area. The north and small pocket in central Sidhi were rich in fertile soils due to availability of surface and ground water. The southern and eastern Sidhi were rainfed areas, hence, the monocropping system by traditional methods showed less impact on the soil physico-chemical parameters. The soil F varied from 366.94 to 1178 mg/kg and 2-4 times greater than the background soil value (320 mg/kg) of the world. The pollution indexes were > 1 indicating prevalence of elevated soil fluorine.     

福建沿海地区表层土壤矿物分布特征及地质和环境意义

对福建沿海地区表层土壤矿物组分、含量、组合以及分布特征进行了分析研究。结果表明,不同地质背景形成的土壤其重矿物组成具有复杂性、一致性和差异性;不同的土壤类型其矿物组合可以较好地反映土壤与成土母岩的内在成因关系;不同沉积环境下形成的土壤矿物组成受外力影响具有一定的分选性;平原区土壤中汞、砷等元素的区域性高异常则与土壤中辰砂、雄黄矿物存在有关。     

Late prehistoric soil fertility,irrigation management,and agricultural production in northwest coastal Peru

The Pampa de Chaparrí (Pampa) in hyperarid northwest coastal Peru is an ideal area to study late prehispanic agricultural technology and production because irrigation canals and furrowed fields have been preserved since abandonment approximately 500 years ago. We collected 55 samples for soil characterization, fertility, and micromorphic analyses and compared these results to a noncultivated control soil previously sampled in an adjacent valley. Natural soil fertility levels for maize, cotton, and bean production were generally high during late prehispanic cultivation in the Pampa. Maintaining adequate nitrogren levels for production, however, would have required external inputs from livestock manure, guano, or leguminous plants. The management of low soil salinity levels was possible because of rapidly permeable soils and irrigation waters low in salt. Based on available water capacity and climate conditions, the Blaney‐Criddle Equation yields evapotranspiration rates indicating that irrigation frequency was necessary in a range of every 10–16 days during the growing season. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Utilisation of loess for soil amelioration

In Hungary loess has long been used for soil reclamation. The main steps of the method are: horizon A and B are removed from a suitable area and their material is stockpiled at the margins of the resulting pit. The loess (horizon C), this way exposed, is excavated and spread over the salt affected soils to be improved then mixed with their upper layer. The pit is named in Hungarian digó (pit). The name of the reclamation process is the digo method or spreading of yellow earth. Digó method is mainly used for the amelioration of salt affected soils with an acid A horizon and its benefits are as follows:

1. The acidity of the horizon A is eliminated
2. The soil structure is improved
3. The amount of calcium (a plant nutrient) is increased
4. Soil fertility is improved continuously
5. The soil depth is extended which adds to the relative volume of the ground water table.

     

青海官亭盆地二方村遗址全新世土壤沉积物地层序列与OSL测年研究

通过野外考察观测,结合土壤学与沉积学多种指标测试分析,在官亭盆地喇家遗址东侧的二方村遗址建立了完整的全新世土壤沉积物地层序列。选择关键层位系统采集年代学样品,应用单片再生剂量法(SAR),进行光释光(OSL)年代测定,结合文化层考古断代,建立了可靠的土壤与沉积物地层年代框架。发现在全新世大暖期温暖湿润气候条件之下,以风成堆积为主的基础上,发育形成了肥沃疏松的黑垆土类古土壤,成为史前人类种植农业开发利用的宝贵资源。但是全新世大暖期后期全球性气候恶化背景条件下,在二方村遗址OSL年龄3940～3780a BP之间,对应喇家遗址~(14)C年龄3850～3600a BP期间,官亭盆地发生多场大地震,加上全球气候恶化致使青藏高原边缘频繁发生强对流天气,造成大规模暴雨山洪泥流事件频繁发生,导致黑垆土发育的突然中断。黄河北岸第二级阶地的肥沃黑垆土类土壤被厚达1.0～4.0 m坚硬贫瘠的红色黏土覆盖。这不仅毁灭了以稷粟类谷物种植为主的喇家村齐家文化大型聚落(4150～3850a BP),也导致土壤与土地资源严重退化。由此可知,从4200a BP开始的全球性气候恶化,对青藏高原东北边缘环境敏感带造成了严重影响,灾害性地表过程造成了黄河第二级阶地土壤土地资源严重退化。这些都成为驱动官亭盆地在3600a BP时期辛店/卡约文化原始农牧混合型土地利用方式形成的重要因素。该研究结果对于深入理解青藏高原东北边缘资源环境演变、自然灾害以及人地关系演变规律等,都具有十分重要的科学价值。     

Microscopic Examination of Ancient and Modern Irrigated Paddy Soils in South Korea,with Special Reference to the Formation of Silty Clay Concentration Features

Geoarchaeological investigations of Bronze Age (10th–4th centuries B.C.), early historical (4th–10th centuries A.D.), and premodern to modern paddy soils (11^th Century A.D. to contemporary) in South Korea were carried out to understand soil alteration by irrigated rice agriculture. After a review of ancient cultivation micromorphology, especially in the context of wet‐rice agriculture, paddy soils were examined from two archaeological sites, Gulhwa and Pyunggeo, which had been both intermittently occupied since the Bronze Age. This paper highlights anomalous pedofeatures (silty clay concentration features or SCCFs), repeatedly observed in both historical and modern paddy fields, which were studied using soil micromorphology, energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS), and microprobe analysis. Results suggest that there are several types of SCCFs, optically distinguishable from other textural pedofeatures. It is concluded that these SCCFs are probably associated with hydromorphic processes, formed under the influence of a tillage and repeated irrigation specific to paddy fields.     

Distribution of acids and nitrogen-containing compounds in biodegraded oils of the Liaohe Basin by negative ion ESI FT-ICR MS

Seven reservoir core (tar sand) bitumens of identical source and similar maturity from the Liaohe Basin of northeast China possess a natural sequence of increasing severity of biodegradation. This set of samples provides us an opportunity to study the change in oil composition or compound class distributions with biodegradation severity by negative ion electrospray Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT ICR-MS). The bitumen extracts from two columns (Es3 and Es1) were separated into maltene and asphaltene fractions for analysis of heteroatomic species by ESI FT-ICR MS. The maltene fractions were found to mainly contain N1, N1O1, N1O2, N1O3, O1, O2, O3 and O4 classes, while the asphaltene fractions mainly contain N1, N2O1, N1O1, N1O2, N1O3, N1O4, O2, O3, O4 and O5 classes. These species identified by FT-ICR MS in asphaltene fractions are likely to be chemisorbed/coprecipitated compounds, or the species precipitated due to high polarity during deasphaltene process. The susceptibility of compound classes and homologous series to biodegradation was studied based on the relative abundances. The results indicate that microorganisms alter the distribution of acids and nitrogen-containing compounds by selective removal and preservation of certain classes of compounds according to their susceptibility to biodegradation. For example, O2 and N1O2 classes increase significantly while N1 and N1O1 classes decrease with biodegradation. The differences in the susceptibility to microbial alteration within acyclic acids, 4–5 ring acids and 1–2 ring acids are discussed and the differences in the susceptibility of homologous series of heteroatom-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also discussed in this work.