Is the decline of soil microbial biomass in late winter coupled to changes in the physical state of cold soils?

During winter when the active layer of Arctic and alpine soils is below 0 °C, soil microbes are alive but metabolizing slowly, presumably in contact with unfrozen water. This unfrozen water is at the same negative chemical potential as the ice. While both the hydrostatic and the osmotic components of the chemical potential will contribute to this negative value, we argue that the osmotic component (osmotic potential) is the significant contributor. Hence, the soil microorganisms need to be at least halotolerant and psychrotolerant to survive in seasonally frozen soils. The low osmotic potential of unfrozen soil water will lead to the withdrawal of cell water, unless balanced by accumulation of compatible solutes. Many microbes appear to survive this dehydration, since microbial biomass in some situations is high, and rising, in winter. In late winter however, before the soil temperature rises above zero, there can be a considerable decline in soil microbial biomass due to the loss of compatible solutes from viable cells or to cell rupture. This decline may be caused by changes in the physical state of the system, specifically by sudden fluxes of melt water down channels in frozen soil, rapidly raising the chemical potential. The dehydrated cells may be unable to accommodate a rapid rise in osmotic potential so that cell membranes rupture and cells lyse. The exhaustion of soluble substrates released from senescing plant and microbial tissues in autumn and winter may also limit microbial growth, while in addition the rising temperatures may terminate a winter bloom of psychrophiles.Climate change is predicted to cause a decline in plant production in these northern soils, due to summer drought and to an increase in freeze-thaw cycles. Both of these may be expected to reduce soil microbial biomass in late winter. After lysis of microbial cells this biomass provides nutrients for plant growth in early spring. These feedbacks, in turn, could affect herbivory and production at higher trophic levels.     

Is soil water repellency a function of soil order and proneness to drought? A survey of soils under pasture in the North Island of New Zealand

We conducted a survey of the occurrence of soil water repellency (SWR) in the top 40 mm of soils across 50 sites under pastoral land use in the North Island of New Zealand. The sites represented ten soil orders and covered five classes of proneness to drought. We found at least a moderate persistence of SWR in 35 out of 50 sites (70%) in summer 2009/2010 and a moderate potential persistence of SWR in 49 out of 50 sites (98%) after drying the soils. The soil orders had an influence on the degree and persistence of SWR. Both the degree and persistence of SWR were greatest for the soil orders Podzol, Organic and Recent, and least for the soil order Allophanic. On average, all soil orders had contact angles larger than 94°, with the exception of the soil order Allophanic. We found no relationship between SWR and drought‐proneness. The degree of SWR and its persistence for air‐dried samples were positively correlated with soil carbon and nitrogen contents and negatively with soil bulk density. The persistence of SWR for field‐fresh samples was additionally negatively correlated with the soil water content. We identified a close relationship (R² = 0.84) between the degree and persistence of SWR. The survey results indicate that SWR is at least moderately persistent in a soil with a contact angle larger than 93.8°. Using a water‐drop penetration time of 60 s as the threshold for SWR being moderately persistent, we found that moderately persistent SWR occurred only for volumetric water contents below 45% or a relative saturation of 60%. The latter can be considered to be a generic value of the critical water content for the onset of SWR at the scale of the North Island of New Zealand.     

Photochemical oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soils — a tool to assess their degradability?

To determine the degradability of PAHs and PCBs for soil remediation or ecotoxicological risk assessment, a simple method is needed. We tested the suitability of photocatalytic oxidation for this purpose. We determined the concentrations of 20 PAHs and 12 PCBs in four mineral topsoil horizons, six organic horizons, and four particle‐size fractions of each of three soils before and after UV irradiation with TiO₂ as a catalyst in suspension. Preliminary experiments showed that in dry soil no photooxidation occurred, but after 48 h of irradiation in suspension the PCB concentrations decreased by up to 40—50 %, while the PAH concentrations did not change significantly. In contrast to this, 95—100 % of PAH and PCB standards spiked on quartz sand were degraded within 8 h, indicating that sorption to organic matter limited degradation of PAHs and PCBs in soil suspensions. There was no difference in the degradation among different individual PAHs and PCBs, respectively, indicating that the degradation did not occur in dissolved state, but in association with soil organic matter. In all samples except one, the degradation of PCBs (10—80 % loss of initial concentrations) was higher than those of the PAHs (0—40 % loss). This suggests that the accessibility of PCBs for OH· radicals generated during irradiation was higher, or the oxidation of PAHs was limited by the properties of the sorbing organic matter. Thus, the tested method was not suitable to predict biodegradability, because it did not reflect the differences in degradability of individual compounds.     

Ecological sustainability and the use of chemicals: Is ecotoxicological risk assessment doing its job properly? An introduction to chemical time bombs

Ten million chemical substances are registered scientifically, but only 1 per cent, 100000, are known to be traded internationally, and only a fraction of these are assessed to establish (eco)toxicological risks through international and national authorities. Only a few of the substances are natural or systemic; most are xenobiotic and poorly evaluated with respect to their environmental effects. It is not only the chemical accidents that make newspaper headlines, but the creeping accumulation of pollutants in soils, sediments and groundwater which degrade the environment for future generations. Ecotoxicological risk assessment still neglects this ‘hidden pollution’, as it usually deals only with the bioavailable fractions of chemicals in the environment. the ‘lost’ (residue) fractions, however, can have non-linear and time-delayed effects (chemical time bombs). As governments need to protect their natural resources (soils, sediments, groundwaters) against negative impacts from chemicals, an ecosystem approach May, help them to overcome the shortsightedness of current ‘acute’ ecotoxico-logical risk assessments. the Netherlands' risk philosophy on chemicals in the environment is discussed as an example. the National Environmental Policy Plan-2 (1994) stresses the chain of events associated with a chemical from the raw material, The side effects of its transport, production, use and disposal, to its final effects in the ecosystem, including the time-delayed responses of pollution. a revised ecotoxicological assessment policy under the new NEPP will have to take account of such chemical time bombs.     

A systematic review of associations between environmental factors, energy and fat intakes among adults: is there evidence for environments that encourage obesogenic dietary intakes?

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature examining associations between environmental factors, energy and fat intakes among adults, and to identify issues for future research. METHODS: Literature searches of studies published between 1980 and 2004 were conducted in major databases (i.e. PubMed, Human Nutrition, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Sociofile). Additional articles were located by citation tracking. RESULTS: Twenty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. No study provided a clear conceptualisation of how environmental factors may influence these dietary intakes. Availability, social, cultural and material aspects of the environment were relatively understudied compared with other factors such as seasonal/day of the week variation and work-related factors. Few studies examined the specific environmental factors implicated in the obesity epidemic, and there was little study replication. All studies were observational and cross-sectional. CONCLUSIONS: It is too premature to conclude whether or not environmental factors play a role in obesogenic and unhealthy dietary intakes. More studies need to examine associations with those environmental factors thought to contribute to obesogenic environments. There needs to be more development in theories that conceptualise the relationship between environmental factors and dietary intakes.     

Relation of acid-volatile sulfides (AVS) with metals in sediments from eutrophicated estuaries: Is it limited by metal-to-AVS ratios?

Purpose

The role of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) as a factor affecting (or reflecting the environmental conditions influencing) the behavior of metals has been evidenced in anoxic sediments. However, sediment quality studies tend not to consider any potential AVS role when sum of simultaneously extracted metal (ΣSEM) concentrations exceed AVS concentrations, restricting the application of the AVS model to predict toxicity, rather than coupling this model (when applicable) with other possible interpretations of metal–AVS relations.

Materials and methods

The relations between total organic carbon (TOC), AVS, and simultaneously extracted Fe, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were investigated in sediment cores from two eutrophicated estuaries in Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil) in order to contribute to our understanding about metal–AVS relations in conditions of variable ΣSEM and AVS levels, due to gradients of eutrophication and metal contamination.

Results and discussion

Correlation analyses indicated a more important role of TOC, AVS, and Fe in the mechanisms affecting trace metal distribution in the less eutrophicated estuary. This suggests that AVS was a more important binding phase, or at least a better proxy for biogeochemical conditions affecting metal distribution, when it exceeds the sum of simultaneously extracted Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations (ΣSEM). However, this potential role of AVS in anoxic estuarine sediments should not be discarded before evaluating individual metals–AVS relations even when ΣSEM levels exceed AVS levels, since the biogeochemical controls on the behavior of individual metals may be also related to metal–AVS associations in this situation (as indicated for Cu and Ni in the more eutrophicated estuary). The same is suggested for all AVS-based approaches, such as the (ΣSEM???AVS)/f _OC (organic carbon normalization of excess ΣSEM), since (ΣSEM???AVS)/f _OC values were mostly positive and significantly higher in the more eutrophicated estuary.

Conclusions

Although the importance of metal relations to AVS in evaluating individual metal behavior in anoxic estuarine sediments may not be restricted to situations in which AVS levels exceed ΣSEM levels (as observed for Ni and Cu in the present study), metal–AVS relations were apparently favored in this situation. Approaches in this way are recommended for future research, coupling the possibilities of metal behavior interpretations (and often predictions) allowed by AVS models.     

Is ‘grey literature’ a reliable source of data to characterize soils at the scale of a region? A case study in a maritime pine forest in southwestern France

Soil scientists are receiving increasing numbers of requests for expert advice on soil over large areas, but at a high resolution. We tested the use of the soil data contained in sources of information that are not directly accessible (referred to as ‘grey’ data) to accomplish this task. We collected grey data about a pine forest, which is currently the subject of drastic, and questionable, changes in management, including a rapid rate of biomass removal. These grey data (from 266 sites) were compared with soil data obtained directly from our field sampling (83 sites). Our comparisons showed that the two sources of data were consistent when the variables concerned had been sampled and analysed by using methods shared by the soil scientists such as particle‐size distribution. Conversely, significant discrepancies appeared for variables for which different methods existed, such as for CEC. For the latter, using corrective equations gave contrasting results, depending on the soil variable. The final database was used to characterize the soils of the study region. Results showed that soils of the study region (mainly sandy podzols and arenosols) were acidic and particularly oligotrophic. Several important properties (CEC, phosphorus cycling, pH, bulk density) were related to the organic fraction or carbon (C) content of soils. For instance, CEC values were linearly and exclusively dependent on C content. The most oligotrophic sites of the study region were clearly not suitable for the new intensive management of the forest in the long term. For the other sites, the question remains open because some specific data are still needed before drawing conclusions. We conclude that as a complement to conventional soil studies, the grey literature is a useful source of data and information to characterize soils at a regional scale.     

Is the long-term application of sewage sludge turning soil into a sink for organic pollutants?: evidence from field studies in the Czech Republic

Purpose

Long-term microscale field experiments established at four sites in the Czech Republic (since 1996) were used for an assessment of the severity of the wide-scale contamination of treated soils by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as a result of the long-term regular pollutant load via sewage sludge and farmyard manure applications and for an estimation of the potential environmental risk caused by long-term pollutant inputs to agricultural soils.

Material and methods

The experimental plots were treated as follows: (i) NPK mineral fertilization (NPK); (ii) sewage sludge (SS1); (iii) sewage sludge applied at three times the rate compared to SS1 (SS2); (iv) farmyard manure (FYM); and (v) untreated control. Except for antibiotics, which showed results for all analyses below the detection limit, all groups of the analyzed compounds showed measurable contents in the treated soils.

Results and discussion

Among the POPs, the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were detected at two locations at levels exceeding the Czech preventive values for their contents in agricultural soils (7.5 μg/kg for dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane family, 20 μg/kg for hexachlorbenzene, and 10 μg/kg for α-hexachlorocyclohexane), regardless of the treatment. Similarly, elevated contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were occasionally observed without any substantial relationship to the fertilizer application scenario. Thus, these contaminants are connected with atmospheric deposition in the given areas (PAHs) and their long-term stability (OCPs) even several decades after their ban; the role of the fertilizer composition was negligible.

Conclusions

The levels of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances, brominated flame retardants, and synthetic musk compounds tended to increase in the sewage sludge–treated plots, indicating that sewage sludge can contribute to the abundance of these compounds in soil, although the contaminant levels determined do not represent a direct environmental risk. The levels of these contaminants in sewage sludge and sludge-treated soils should be regularly monitored in further research.

     

Homogeneous inoculation vs. microbial hot spots of isolated strain and microbial community: What is the most promising approach in remediating 1,2,4-TCB contaminated soils?

We investigated the effectiveness of different inoculation approaches in enhancing the mineralization of [U-¹⁴C] labeled 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB) in soil. Inoculation was conducted with a soil-borne 1,2,4-TCB mineralizing microbial community (MC) as well as the Bordetella sp. strain F2 originally isolated from this community as the key degrader organism (IS). Both were applied either via liquid medium (LM) or attached on clay particles (CP). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization in combination with ¹⁴C-1,2,4-TCB mineralization measurements as well as measurements of ¹⁴C-residues in soil were used to investigate the bioaugmentation efficiency of the different approaches. Bordetella sp. cell numbers increased about 2-5 times during the incubation process, indicating that the bacteria could survive and develop in the new soil habitat. While the native soil showed negligible 1,2,4-TCB mineralization rates, soil inoculated with the MC attached on CP showed the highest 1,2,4-TCB mineralization rate per Bordetella cell, whereas the other inoculum approaches showed an increased but lower contaminant mineralization. Additionally, the MC-CP approach showed the highest cumulative 1,2,4-TCB mineralization as well as the highest formation of bound ¹⁴C-residues which is most likely equivalent to ¹⁴C incorporated into the microbial biomass. Thus, our results allow the conclusion that the application of a specific microbe-clay-particle-complex is the most promising approach for an accelerated in-situ mineralization of chemicals in agricultural soils.