DISTRIBUTION OF ALKALI EARTH METALS AND ALKALI METALS (Ca, Mg, K, Na) IN THE FOREST SOIL OF MEDVEDNICA NATURE PARK

Sa？etak Alkali earth metals and alkali metals Ca, Mg, K and Na are a constituent part of the lithosphere rocks and belong among the 8 most abudant elements in the Earth′s crust. They are the results of the weathering of rocks on the surface of the Earth′s crust in the process of pedogenesis. From the aspect of plant nutrition, these elements belong to plant nutrients: K, Ca and Mg belong to macro-elements or essential elements, while Na belongs to beneficial elements. The goal of this research is to establish how the lithological bedrock, or parent material in the area of Medvednica Nature Park affects the Ca, Mg, K and Na content in the soil, and whether their spatial distribution is conditioned by the relief as well as by the lithological bedrock. A total of 181 composite samples were taken in the Medvednica NP forests. Topsoil samples to a 5 cm depth were taken in a regular 1 x 1 km grid. Twenty-eight pedological profiles were opened and evenly distributed to encompass all lithological units. Soil pH values (HRN ISO 10390:2005) were measured in topsoil samples and so was the content of the elements Ca, Mg, K, and Na after extraction with aqua regia (HRN ISO 11466:2004). Determination of particle size distribution in mineral soil material (HRN ISO 11277:2004), determination of soil pH ( HRN ISO 10390:2005), determination of organic carbon and total nitrogen after dry combustion (HRN ISO 10694:2004; HRN ISO 13878:2004), mineral content of the soil (XRD) by X-ray diffraction method and content of the elements Ca, Mg, K and Na after extraction with aqua regia (HRN ISO 11466:2004) were determined in the samples taken from genetic horizons in the pedological profiles. For statistical purposes, the lithological bedrock was divided into seven characteristic lithological units, which were used by geologists Halami？ et al. (2001) in their study of stream sediments on Medvednica. Lithological unit LIT1 is made up of parametamorphic rocks, Lithological unit LIT2 is composed of orthometamorphic rocks, Lithological unit LIT3 consists of igneous rocks, Lithological unit LIT4 is formed of Mesozoic clastic rocks, Lithological unit LIT5 is comprised of Tertiary clastic rocks, Lithological unit LIT6 consists of Mesozoic carbonate rocks and Lithological unit LIT7 is made up of Tertiary carbonate rocks. Statistical analysis was performed in Statistica 7 software package. Descriptive statistics was made for all the analyzed variables: number of samples, minimum, lower quartile, median, upper quartile, maximum, mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, standard