Soils in southern Spain are low in organic matter (OM) and nutrients. Understanding the nature and dynamics of OM has potential to improve soil management technologies for sustainable crop production. The objective of this work was to establish the distribution of functional groups in organic-C from these soils using 13C CP/MAS-NMR spectroscopy and to investigate the influence of vegetation, climatic conditions, soil parameters, parent material, and soil order on these functional groups. No statistically significant variability in the distribution of organic-C groups was found as a result of the influence of either soil order or parent material. The content of O-alkyl-C in the soils under the Rhamno-Quercetum plant community was higher (95% probability) than in the soils under the Paronychio-Sideritidetum plant community. Soils located in the mesomediterranean climatic zone displayed a higher content of O-alkyl-C and a lower content of aromatic-C compared to the soils located in the thermomediterranean zone. These differences were statistically significant at 95% of probability. Vegetation and climatic conditions appear to play a major role in the OM decomposition processes in this region. Statistically significant and positive correlations were found between alkyl-C and both cation exchange capacity (CEC) and clay content indicating the recalcitrant nature of these organic compounds. Key words: Organic matter composition, Spanish soils, 13C CP/MAS-NMR spectra, Mediterranean soils, Alfisols, Mollisols, Aridisols
