Accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and plants of the tundra zone under the impact of coal-mining industry

Thirteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds were identified in organic horizons of tundra surface-gleyed soils ( Histic Stagnosols (Gelistagnic) and plants. The total content of PAHs in contaminated soils exceeded the background values by three times. Concentrations of low-molecular weight hydrocarbons in soils at different distances from the coalmines were relatively stable. Concentrations of highmolecular weight hydrocarbons had a distinct maximum at a distance of about 0.5 km from the source of emission. The increased values of correlation coefficients were found between PAH concentrations in organic soil horizons, plants, and coal of the Vorkutinskaya mine. Mostly low-molecular weight structures predominated in the organic soil horizons and in the studied plant species. The maximum capacity for the biological accumulation of PAHs was displayed by Pleurozium schreberi and the minimum capacity was displayed by Vaccinium myrtillus. Mosses and lichens actively absorbed polyarenes from the surface; most of the PAHs were transported into the plants. This phenomenon was not observed for Vaccinium myrtillus Concentrations of PAHs on the surface and in plant tissues decreased with an increase in the distance from the mine. Distribution of polyarenes in plant organs was nonuniform. Insignificant excess of concentration of polyarenes was found in dead part of Pleurozium schreberi in comparison with its living part. The accumulation of polyarenes in the leaves of Vaccinium myrtillus was higher than that in its stems and roots.     

Soil salinization of the Baer Mounds in the Volga River delta

The Baer Mounds are elongated hills arranged in parallel rows stretched from the east to the west in the Astrakhan steppe. The distance between the mounds varies from 200 to 1500 m (300 m on the average). The width of the mounds is about 250 m and their length is from 450 m to 4.5–5 km long (sometimes, up to 15–20 km). The height of the mounds varies from 7 to 10 m and increases in the southward direction. The mounds are composed of clayey sand; loamy sand; light loam; and, sometimes, loam. Their top (1–3 m) parts consist of clayey sand and loamy sand with thin interlayers of loam, clay, and argillite pebbles. The upper horizons of the brown semidesert soils are not saline. Soluble salts are leached off from them into deeper horizons. On the slopes, the deep soil horizons are saline, and salts are transported from the deep soil layers into the upper layers. This can be explained by the regular flooding of the foots of the mounds with floodwater and the capillary rise of water. Alternation of salinization and desalinization processes is responsible for the nonuniform distribution of salts in the soil profiles and along the soil catena.     

Formation of the Composition of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Hummocky Bogs in the Forest-Tundra–Northern Tundra Zonal Sequence

Eurasian Soil Science - The accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in plants and peat of three natural subzones—forest-tundra, southern tundra, and northern tundra—is...     

Distribution of n-Alkanes in Hummocky Peatlands of the Extreme Northern Taiga of the European Northeast of Russia and Their Role in Paleoclimate Reconstruction

Eurasian Soil Science - The examined peatlands were assayed for the n-alkanes С14Н44–С31Н64; their contents of in all studied soil profiles are determined by both...     

Estimation of the Biogenicity and Bioactivity of Gleyed Agrogray Nondrained and Drained Soils

Eurasian Soil Science - A comparison of the biological activity and biogenicity of drained and nondrained gleyed agrogray soils (Luvic Greyzemic Stagnic Phaeozems) of Moscow oblast has been carried...     

Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soil-plant systems of the northern-taiga biocenoses

Regularities in the formation of the pool of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil-plant systems of the northern taiga forest biocenoses were revealed. In soils and plants, PAHs mainly consisted of 3- and 4-nuclear structures. The content of polyarenes in plants on technogenically contaminated areas exceeded the background values by 2–5 times. The maximum bioconsumption of polyarenes was observed for bilberry leaves and Siberian spruce sprouts 4–5 years old. The highest mass fraction of PAHs was found in Siberian spruce plants of a mixed spruce-birch forest of the northern taiga. It was revealed that bilberry plants are hyperaccumulators of light PAHs.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils and lower-layer plants of the southern shrub tundra under technogenic conditions

In soils and plants of the southern shrub tundra, 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. Polyarenes in emissions, soil organic horizons, and plants mainly include low-molecular-weight PAHs: naphthalene, fluorine, and pyrene. The contents of the total PAHs in soils and plants exceed the background levels by 3–5 times. The distribution of polyarenes among the organs of the studied plants is nonuniform and depends on the plant species and technogenic load on the area. The studied plants include both hyperaccumulators of polyarenes (Pleurozium schreberi) and indicators of PAHs in the soil (Polytrichum commune). Pleurozium schreberi is the most abundant species in the areas under study, and it accumulates the largest mass fraction of PAHs. The differences in the accumulation of PAHs by the plants of the tundra and taiga zones have been revealed.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Peat Mounds of the Permafrost Zone

Eurasian Soil Science - The accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the profiles of permafrost-affected peat mounds is related to certain groups of plant residues produced in the...     

Composition of phototrophs in different soil types of Astrakhan oblast

The composition of phototrophic organisms has been studied in light chestnut soils (Cambisols), alluvial meadow soils (Fluvisols), brown semidesert soils (Calcisols), sandy soils (Arenosols), and solonchaks (Solonchaks) of Astrakhan oblast. Representatives of the Cyanobacteria phylum constitute 71.3% of the total number of studied soil phototrophs. Overall, 64 species of cyanobacteria have been identified; they belong to 3 classes (Chroococceae, Chamaeciphoneae, and Hormogoneae), 4 orders (Chroococcales, Pleurocapsales, Nostocales, and Oscillatoriales), 9 families, and 19 genera. Most common species include Phormidium faveolarum, Phormidium tenue, Phormidium retzii, Phormidium ambigum, Phormidium inundatum, Phormidium bohneri, Oscillatoria woronchnii, Oscillatoria mucicola, Gloeocapsa magma, Gloeocapsa minuta, Anabaena variabilis, and Plectonema nostocorum. The assessment of similarity of the species composition of cyanobacteria and green algae in the studied soil types using the Jaccard and Sorensen similarity coefficients demonstrates that the maximum similarity coefficient reaches 0.37–0.54 for cyanobacteria and 0.67–0.80 for green algae. The high diversity of cyanobacteria and green algae denotes an important role of phototrophs in the processes of soil formation in the studied soils.     

Distribution of lipids and fatty acids in the zooxanthellae and host of the soft coral Sinularia sp.

The lipid classes and the fatty acid (FA) compositions of the zooxanthellae, the host tissue, and intact coral were determined for the first time in a soft coral, Sinularia sp. The contents of monoalkyldiacylglycerol (MADAG), triacylglycerol, and polar lipids differed significantly between the zooxanthellae and the host fractions. The zooxanthellae were rich in polar lipids, whereas neutral lipids were concentrated in the host. MADAG comprised 35% of the host lipids and was practically absent in zooxanthellae. Hence, MADAG is only synthesized in animal tissues and serves as a biomarker for the host in the host–zooxanthellae association of these soft corals. Similar to the zooxanthellae of reef-building corals, the main FA in the zooxanthellae of Sinularia sp. were 18:4n-3, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3. In addition, 16:3n-4 and 16:4n-1 (8.9% in total) were found in these zooxanthellae. The ratios of 16:3n-4, 16:4n-1, 18:4n-3, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3 in the zooxanthellae to those in the host tissue were 4.2, 11.2, 10.1, 11.0, and 9.1, respectively. The proportions of some FA and lipid classes in the intact coral and its fractions showed that zooxanthellate lipids comprised 36 ± 15% of the total lipids in Sinularia sp. Two tetracosapolyenoic acids (24:5n-6 and 24:6n-3) are proposed as a biomarkers of the animal tissue and indicators of the purity of the zooxanthellae fractions from soft corals.