Microbiological rates and enzyme activities as indicators of functionality in soils affected by the Aznalcóllar toxic spill

This study focused on the potential of using soil enzyme activities and general microbiological rates (respiration, N-mineralisation, nitrification) to evaluate the quality of soils affected by a pyrite mud spill which contained high concentrations of heavy metals. The quality of soils after restoration was estimated by comparing enzyme activities and general microbiological rates in three different types of experimental field plots: (i) non-polluted, (ii) polluted but restored, and (iii) polluted but un-restored soils. Non-polluted soils showed the highest levels of enzyme activity. Significant differences were detected for acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase and urease activities between all types of plots. However, arylsulfatase and alkaline phosphatase activities showed no significant differences between the restored plots and polluted but un-restored plots. Geometric mean statistics were used as an index of soil quality in terms of overall: (i) bioavailable heavy metal concentrations, (ii) assayed enzyme activities, and (iii) general microbiological rates, in order to compare plots differing in the degree of pyritic mud pollution. The results indicate that it is important to consider these three criteria in to estimate the soil quality of heavy-metal contaminated soils. Typically, enzyme activities were negatively correlated with bioavailable Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations, but positively with soil pH values. In contrast, pH values were negatively correlated with bioavailable concentrations of Cd, Cu and Zn. It is unclear if the generalised lower enzyme activities found in restored soils, compared to non-polluted soils, is promoted by pH or bioavailable heavy metals concentrations, or a combination of both.     

Assessing air-drying and rewetting pre-treatment effect on some soil enzyme activities under Mediterranean conditions

Soil enzyme activities are useful indicators of soil quality as they are very sensitive to disturbance. Sample storage or pre-treatments could affect the results in these assays, which are normally determined in fresh samples, kept cold or frozen. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of air-drying or air-drying and rewetting on β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and urease activities in soils from different locations, degradation status and sampling seasons, and (ii) assess if air-drying or air-drying and rewetting is an accurate sample storage and pre-treatment procedure for enzyme activities in soil quality evaluations under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Our results showed that urease, phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities were hardly affected by air-drying of degraded and non-degraded soils from the two locations studied in all seasons. Short incubations (4, 8 and 12 d at 23 °C) of rewetted air-dried soil at 55% of water-holding capacity showed different patterns depending on the enzyme studied. Urease and β-glucosidase activities were relatively stable during incubation, with several significant (P<0.05) shifts up and down in some soils and samplings. However, acid phosphatase showed an increase in activity with incubation, of between 5% and 50% relative to air-dried samples. These increases followed no pattern and were unrelated to soil characteristics or sampling date. Hence, urease, phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities determined in air-dried soil samples seem to be representative of those obtained under field-moist conditions. In contrast, short incubations of rewetted soil samples can produce fluctuations in these enzyme activities, mainly of acid phosphatase, and estimations in these conditions are not so representative of field-moist soil values.     

Recovery of biochemical functionality in polluted flood-plain soils: The role of microhabitat differentiation through revegetation and rehabilitation of the river dynamics

Soil biogeochemical functions in flood-plains are controlled mainly by interactions between river flooding dynamics and vegetation change. This generates a pattern of landscape cross-sectional and longitudinal heterogeneity in texture, microtopography and plant cover. Agricultural uses restrain such mechanisms, eliminating the mosaic of soil environments and vegetation patches in natural flood-plains. The ecological restoration performed in ca. 5000 ha of agricultural lands in the Guadiamar river basin (SW Spain), affected by the Aználcollar mine spill in 1998 (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn-rich pyritic sludge), has focused on the re-creation of those controlling mechanisms (enhancement of the natural river flooding dynamics and patchy afforestation). We have studied temporal trends, and the role of specific habitats differentiation in the river terraces, on the recovery of the soil biochemical status in the emerging ecosystems. During 2000–2004, the geometric mean of enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease, arylsulfatase, acid and alkaline phosphatase) increased three-fold in the most-impacted, coarser textured, upper-watershed soils; and by six-fold in less polluted, loamy soils at the mid-watershed. In 2005, sampling was stratified by microhabitats at two representative watershed sections. Vegetation cover-type and transport/sedimentation processes are the main driving forces increasing both the mean value and intra-site spatial heterogeneity of soil properties (especially enzyme activities) in reclaimed areas. In the wet season, soil enzyme activity under adult trees (holm-oaks and Eucaliptus), and in spots where silt and plant residues had accumulated during previous floodings, was more than 50% higher than in bare areas. However, activities were strongly inhibited in eroded areas where pollutant residues appeared in the surface. Woody patches and the grassy matrix of revegetated areas showed distinctive soil N features. Specific plant species effects were observed, such as a generally high enzymatic activity in soils under Tamarix gallica.     

铅对两个红壤中酶活性的影响

Enzyme activities have the potential to indicate biological functioning of soils. In this study, soil urease, dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and invertase activities and fluorescein diacetate（FDA） hydrolysis were measured in two red soils spiked with Pb^2＋ ranging from 0 to 2 400 mg kg^-1 to relate the enzyme activity values to both plant growth and the levels of available and total Pb^2＋ concentrations in soils, and to examine the potential use of soil enzymes to assess the degrees of Pb contamination. Soil samples were taken for enzyme activities assaying during 3 month’s incubation and then after planting of celery（Apium graveolens L.） and Chinese cabbage（Brassica chinensis L.）. Enzyme activities in the red soil derived from arenaceous rock（RAR） were generally lower than those in the red soil developed on Quaternary red earths（REQ）. At high Pb^2＋ loadings, in both incubation and greenhouse studies, urease activity and FDA hydrolysis were significantly inhibited. But there were no significant relationships between soil dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase or invertase activity and soil Pb^2＋ loadings in both RAR and REQ soils. The growth of celery and Chinese cabbage increased soil urease activity and FDA hydrolysis, but had minimal effect on dehydrogenase and invertase activities. There were positive correlations between celery biomass and soil urease activity and FDA hydrolysis. These results demonstrate that urease activity and FDA hydrolysis are more sensitive to Pb^2＋ than acid phosphatase, dehydrogenase and invertase activities in the RAR and REQ soils.     

有机和常规生产模式下菜田土壤酶活性差异研究

通过对露地及温室环境下有机和常规蔬菜栽培土壤采样,测定分析了5种参与土壤碳氮循环的酶活性,及其与土壤相关理化性质之间的关系。结果显示:温室及露地土壤EC值在有机生产中相应低于常规生产12%和16%;有机生产土壤微生物碳氮含量显著高于常规生产;不同生产模式下土壤酶活性差异显著,有机生产土壤中的蛋白酶、脲酶、脱氢酶、β-葡糖苷酶活性高于常规生产,而硝酸还原酶活性较常规生产低;有机与常规栽培对蛋白酶活性影响极显著(P=0.006 8),对脲酶活性影响程度达显著水平(P=0.012 4)。除脱氢酶以外,不同栽培模式环境对土壤中另外4种酶活性均有显著影响,温室栽培环境中的蛋白酶、脲酶和硝酸还原酶活性高于露地。除硝酸还原酶外,其他4种酶活性与可溶性全氮、微生物碳、微生物氮相关系数达到显著水平。分析表明,土壤酶活性受到栽培方式以及环境的影响,并且有机生产能够提高参与土壤碳氮循环的酶活性。土壤蛋白酶、脲酶、脱氢酶和β-葡糖苷酶活性能够作为表征土壤碳氮循环以及微生物活性的指标。     

Functional diversity as indicator of the recovery of soil health derived from Thlaspi caerulescens growth and metal phytoextraction

Continuous phytoextraction has lately drawn a lot of attention due to its potential for the remediation of metal polluted soils. Although when assessing the success of a phytoextraction process, up till now, emphasis has mostly been placed on metal removal, it is important to highlight that the ultimate objective of a phytoextraction process must be to restore soil health. Consequently, a short-term microcosm study was carried out to evaluate the capacity of an actively growing ecotype of the Zn and Cd hyperaccumulator Thlaspi caerulescens (Lanestosa ecotype) to phytoextract metals from soil and, above all, to assess the potential of soil functional diversity (through the determination of soil enzyme activities and community level physiological profiles) to both determine the toxic effect of metals on soil condition and to monitor the efficiency of a metal phytoextraction process. T. caerulescens plants grown in metal polluted soils showed a shoot metal concentration of 337 mg of Cd, 5670 mg of Zn and 76.6 mg of Pb per kg of dry weight tissue. Apart from confirming its great potential for Zn and Cd phytoextraction, the presence of T. caerulescens, as compared to the metal phytoextraction itself, had the major effect on soil biological parameters. Actually, in metal polluted soils, the presence of T. caerulescens led to a 154, 115, 140, 37 and 164% increase in the activity of β-glucosidase, arylsulphatase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and urease, respectively. Metal pollution did not cause a clear inhibition of soil enzyme activities. Contrasting results were obtained with EcoPlates™ versus soil enzyme activities. Actually, the presence of metals led to significantly lower values of Shannon's index calculated from enzyme activities and non-significant higher values of this same index when calculated from EcoPlates™ data. It was concluded that biological indicators of soil health are valid tools to evaluate the success of a metal phytoextraction process.     

铜污染胁迫条件下农田土壤酶活性及微生物多样性对大气CO2浓度升高的响应

在开放式大气CO2浓度升高平台上（Free-Air CO2 Enrichment,简称FACE）,采用盆栽实验,研究了不同浓度Cu污染胁迫条件下,稻麦轮作土壤中土壤酶活性及土壤微生物多样性对大气CO2浓度升高的响应。结果表明,大气CO2浓度升高显著诱导了清洁土壤中蛋白酶、脲酶、尿酸酶活性以及微生物多样性;正常大气和大气CO2浓度升高条件下,3种酶活性都随着土壤Cu污染胁迫的增加而逐渐降低;低浓度Cu污染胁迫条件下（50 mg.kg^-1）,FACE圈中的土壤脲酶和蛋白酶活性显著高于正常大气（Ambience）圈,尿酸酶活性无显著变化;高浓度Cu污染胁迫条件下（400 mg.kg^-1）,土壤脲酶与蛋白酶活性无显著变化,尿酸酶活性则显著降低,其原因可能与不同酶系对铜污染胁迫的敏感差异性以及大气CO2浓度升高对土壤中铜的活化作用有关。与清洁土壤相比,低浓度Cu污染（50 mg.kg^-1）对微生物生长具有一定的刺激作用,Ambience圈和FACE圈土壤微生物多样性都有所增加,FACE圈中这种现象更为明显;高浓度Cu污染胁迫（400 mg.kg^-1）对土壤微生物表现出了明显的毒害作用,微生物多样性有所降低,但在FACE圈中土壤微生物多样性的降低程度要低于Ambience圈,其影响机制有待进一步研究。     

我国主要土壤剖面酶活性状况

本世纪五十年代以来,由于科学的发展以及新技术的引入,土壤酶的研究愈来愈为人们所重视。试验研究已证明,土壤酶是土壤的组成分之一。     

Reconciling apparent variability in effects of biochar amendment on soil enzyme activities by assay optimization

We studied the effects of a biochar made from fast pyrolysis of switchgrass on four soil enzymes (β-glucosidase, β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, lipase, and leucine aminopeptidase) to determine if biochar would consistently modify soil biological activities. Thus, we conducted a series of enzyme assays on biochar-amended soils. Inconsistent results from enzyme assays of char-amended soils suggested that biochar had variable effects on soil enzyme activities, thus we conducted a second experiment to determine if biochar reacts predictably with either enzyme or substrate in in vitro reactions. Both colorimetric and fluorescent assays were used for β-glucosidase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase. Seven days after biochar was added to microcosms of 3 different soils, fluorescence-based assays revealed some increased enzyme activities (up to 7-fold for one measure of β-glucosidase in a shrub-steppe soil) and some decreased activities (one-fifth of the unamended control for lipase measured in the same shrub-steppe soil), compared to non-amended soil. In an effort understand the varied effects, purified enzymes or substrates were briefly exposed to biochar and then assayed. In contrast to the soil assays, except for β-N-acetylglucosaminidase, the exposure of substrate to biochar reduced the apparent activity of the enzymes, suggesting that sorption reactions between substrate and biochar impeded enzyme function. Our findings indicate that fluorometric assays are more robust to, or account for, this sorption better than the colorimetric assays used herein. The activity of purified β-N-acetylglucosaminidase increased 50-75% following biochar exposure, suggesting a chemical enhancement of enzyme function. In some cases, biochar stimulates soil enzyme activities, to a much greater degree than soil assays would indicate, given that substrate reactivity can be impeded by biochar exposure. We conclude that the effects of biochar on enzyme activities in soils are highly variable; these effects are likely associated with reactions between biochar and the target substrate.     

三江平原岗地白浆土水解酶活性和动力学特性对不同连作农作物的响应

作物种植会对农田生态系统产生一定的影响。大田试验条件下,在黑龙江省853农场岗地白浆土上连续6年种植玉米、大豆、小麦、水稻,研究了土壤理化性质以及土壤中与碳、氮、磷、硫元素转化相关的9种水解酶活性和动力学特性的响应;同时研究了不同作物种植对土壤脲酶、磷酸单酯酶、磷酸二酯酶、芳基硫酸酯酶及β-葡糖苷酶动力学特性的影响。结果表明,大豆连作土壤的有效氮、总碳、总氮、总磷和总硫含量都稍高;大豆处理土壤pH值略低,但其它三种作物种植下的土壤均呈微酸性,差异不显著。土壤水解酶动力学参数对种植作物的反应与表观活性的反应不一致。玉米连作土壤蛋白酶和磷酸单酯酶活性高于其它处理;小麦处理的磷酸二酯酶和芳基硫酸酯酶活性最高,水稻连作土壤蛋白酶、磷酸二酯酶和磷酸三酯酶活性最低。连年种植小麦处理的土壤脲酶、磷酸二酯酶以及芳基硫酸酯酶Vmax显著高于其它处理,小麦连作土壤β-葡萄糖苷酶、脲酶、磷酸二酯酶和芳基硫酸酯酶的Vmax/Km值显著高于其它处理,可以看出在此处理下土壤酶具有较强的催化潜势。     

Biogeochemical responses of soil ecosystems to raw coal pollution in Xuanhua,China

Purpose

China is the world’s largest coal producer and consumer. Despite extensive studies on coal-burning pollution, the effect of raw coal pollutants caused by transportation and turnover on soil along the road received little attention. The main purpose of the study was to clarify the biogeochemical response of soil ecosystems to raw coal pollution.

Materials and methods

The raw coal and unpolluted soil from the coal distribution area in Xuanhua, China were collected for the incubation experiments. Combined with the determination of soil physicochemical properties, including pH, electric conductivity, soluble ions, dissolved organic carbon, and available heavy metals, the biogeochemical responses of soil to raw coal pollution, such as soil enzyme activities (β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and Urease), microbial community composition, and soil respiration, were systematically studied. In addition, a q-PCR analysis of the urease was performed to clarify the inhibitory mechanism of urease by coal pollution. Furthermore, a simple field investigation was carried out to confirm the incubation results.

Results and discussion

Raw coal pollution not only changed the soil physicochemical properties but also made the available Zn, Ni, and Co accumulate significantly. A positive priming effect in soil with the low-dose raw coal addition was trigged, but soil respiration rate and soil enzyme activity, such as β-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase, were inhibited to different degrees with the increased pollution. Urease activity also decreased under the higher coal contamination, which was due to inhibition of ureC gene expression. In addition to the slight soil acidification caused by coal pollution, microbial communities and diversity was also found to be affected. The relative abundances of the microorganisms related to urease, alkaline phosphatase, and β-glucosidase changed accordingly. The incubation results are in good agreement with the field survey results.

Conclusions

Low-dose raw coal pollution can trigger the soil positive priming effect. However, as the coal pollution increased, the β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and urease in the soil were inhibited to varying degrees. The compounding effects of soil acidification, increased electric conductivity, and the accumulation of available heavy metals such as Zn, Ni, and Co are the key causes for the biogeochemical response of soil to coal pollution.

     

Enzyme activities as affected by soil properties and land use in a tropical watershed

Enzyme activities play key roles in the biochemical functioning of soils, including soil organic matter formation and degradation, nutrient cycling, and decomposition of xenobiotics. Knowledge of enzyme activities can be used to describe changes in soil quality due to land use management and for understanding soil ecosystem functioning. In this study, we report the activities of the glycosidases (β-glucosidase, α-galactosidase, and β-glucosaminidase), acid phosphatase, and arylsulfatase, involved in C (C and N for β-glucosaminidase), P, and S cycling, respectively, as affected by soil order and land use within a watershed in north-central Puerto Rico (Caribbean). Representative surface soil (0–15 cm) samples were taken from 84.6% of the total land area (45,067 ha) of the watershed using a completely randomized design. The activity of α-galactosidase was greater in soils classified as Oxisols than in soils classified as Ultisols and Inceptisols, and it was not affected by land use. The activity of β-glucosidase was greater in Oxisols compared to the Inceptisols and Ultisols, and it showed this response according to land use: pasture > forest > agriculture. The activity of β-glucosaminidase was higher in Oxisols than the other soil orders, and it was higher under pasture compared to forest and agriculture. Acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase activities were greater in Oxisols and Ultisols than in Inceptisols, and they decreased in this order due to land use: forest = pasture > agriculture. As a group, β-glucosaminidase, β-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase activities separated the sites under forest and pasture from those under agriculture in a three-dimensional plot. Thus, enzyme activities in Inceptisols under agriculture could be increased to levels comparable to other soil orders with conservative practices similar to those under pasture and secondary forest growth. Our findings demonstrate that within this watershed, acid and low fertility soils such as Oxisols and Ultisols have in general higher enzyme activities than less weathered tropical soils of the order Inceptisols, probably due to their higher organic matter content and finer texture; and that the activities of these enzymes respond to management with agricultural practices decreasing key soil biochemical reactions of soil functioning.     

Do general spatial relationships for microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities exist in temperate grassland soils?

In heterogeneous environments such as soil it is imperative to understand the spatial relationships between microbial communities, microbial functioning and microbial habitats in order to predict microbial services in managed grasslands. Grassland land-use intensity has been shown to affect the spatial distribution of soil microorganisms, but so far it is unknown whether this is transferable from one geographic region to another. This study evaluated the spatial distribution of soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities involved in C-, N- and P-cycling, together with physico-chemical soil properties in 18 grassland sites differing in their land-use intensity in two geographic regions: the Hainich National Park in the middle of Germany and the Swabian Alb in south-west Germany. Enzyme activities associated with the C- and N-cycles, namely β-glucosidase, xylosidase and chitinase, organic carbon (C_org), total nitrogen (N_t), extractable organic carbon, and mineral nitrogen (N_min) were higher in the Swabian Alb (Leptosols) than in the Hainich National Park (primarily Stagnosols). There was a negative relationship between bulk density and soil properties such as microbial biomass (C_mic, N_mic), urease, C_org, and N_t. The drivers (local abiotic soil properties, spatial separation) of the enzyme profiles (β-glucosidase, chitinase, xylosidase, phosphatase, and urease) were determined through a spatial analysis of the within site variation of enzyme profiles and abiotic properties, using the Procrustes rotation test. The test revealed that physical and chemical properties showed more spatial pattern than the enzyme profiles. β-glucosidase, chitinase, xylosidase, phosphatase, and urease activities were related to local abiotic soil properties, but showed little spatial correlation. Semivariogram modeling revealed that the ranges of spatial autocorrelation of all measured variables were site specific and not related to region or to land-use intensity. Nevertheless, land-use intensity changed the occurrence of spatial patterns measurable at the plot scale: increasing land-use intensity led to an increase in detectable spatial patterns for abiotic soil properties on Leptosols. The conclusion of this study is that microbial biomass and functions in grassland soils do not follow general spatial distribution patterns, but that the spatial distribution is site-specific and mainly related to the abiotic properties of the soils.     

Toxic effect of cadmium and nickel on soil enzymes and the influence of adding sewage sludge

Sewage sludge is increasingly used as an organic amendment to soil, especially to soil containing little organic matter. However, little is known about the utility of this organic amendment in the reclamation of soil polluted with heavy metals. We studied the effects of adding sewage sludge on enzymatic activities of a semi-arid soil contaminated with Cd or Ni in the laboratory. The activities of urease, phosphatase, β-glucosidase and protease-BAA were measured in soil containing concentrations of Cd or Ni in the range 0–8000 mg kg⁻¹ soil, and their inhibition was compared with those of the enzymatic activities in the same soil amended with sewage sludge and containing similar concentrations of the heavy metals. The inhibition was tested for three different incubation times to determine changes in the effect of the heavy metals on hydrolase activity with the time elapsed after contamination. Ecological dose (ED) values of Cd and Ni were calculated from three mathematical models which described the inhibition of the enzymatic activities with increasing concentrations of heavy metal in the soil. For urease and phosphatase activities, the ED values for Cd and Ni increased after application of sewage sludge to soil, indicating a decrease in Cd and Ni toxicity. The other two enzymes (β-glucosidase and protease-BAA) were less sensitive to Cd or Ni contamination, and it was more difficult to determine whether addition of sewage sludge had affected the inhibition of these enzymes by the heavy metals.     

Enzyme activities in vineyard soils long-term treated with copper-based fungicides

Copper-based fungicides have been applied in vineyard soils for a long time, which has resulted in increasing soil Cu concentration. However, information relating to non-target effects of these fungicides on microorganisms of these soils is scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the potential enzyme activities of vineyard soils in relation to Cu content and evaluate the potential risks of long-term application of Cu-based fungicides. For this purpose, a wide range of soil samples, having different total, exchangeable and bioavailable Cu contents, were collected from six regions of quality wines located in the NW Iberian Peninsula, and the activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, urease and phosphatase were measured. Overall, the results obtained indicate adverse effects of Cu on dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and phosphatase activities and an inconsistent effect on urease activity. Threshold Cu concentrations at which changes in the enzyme activities became evident were 150-200 mg total Cu kg⁻¹ and 60-80 mg bioavailable Cu kg⁻¹.     

Application of biostimulants in benzo(a)pyrene polluted soils: Short-time effects on soil biochemical properties

The bioremediation effects of three biostimulants (BS): WCDS, wheat condensed distillers soluble; PAHE, hydrolyzed poultry feathers; and RB, rice bran extract in a soil polluted with two rates of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) (50 or 100 mg kg⁻¹ soil, respectively) over 90 days were studied. Their effects on the soil biochemical properties (ATP and urease and phosphatase activities) and ergosterol were determined. Also, extractable BaP in soils was determined during the incubation period. An non-polluted and non-organic-amended soil was used as control. The results indicated that at the end of the incubation period and compared with the control soil, the ATP, ergosterol, urease and phosphatase activities decreased 29.4%, 24.8%, 44.7% and 42.9%, respectively in the non-organic amended soil polluted with polluted 100 mg BaP kg⁻¹ soil. The application of biostimulants to unpolluted soil increased the biochemical parameters. However, this stimulation was higher in the soil amended with PAHE, followed by RB and WCDS. The application of BaP in organic-amended soils decreased the biochemical properties. However, this decrease was lower than for the non-amended BaP polluted soil. Possibly the low molecular weight protein content easily assimilated by soil microorganisms is responsible for less inhibition of these soil biochemical parameters.     

马唐对Pb污染土壤的修复作用

研究了农田杂草马唐(Digitaria sanguinaisl)对于Pb污染土壤的修复效果。通过45d的盆栽试验研究观测了马唐在Pb污染下的生长情况和富集能力、土壤重金属Pb浓度与土壤酶活性的关系,以及经马唐修复后土壤酶活性恢复情况。结果表明:Pb污染对马唐的生长有明显的抑制作用;五种土壤酶活性均随土壤Pb浓度的增加而降低,回归分析表明土壤过氧化氢酶和脲酶活性与土壤Pb浓度极显著相关,可表示出土壤受Pb污染程度;Pb污染土壤经过马唐修复后,过氧化氢酶和脲酶活性得到恢复,可根据它们的活性恢复状况判断马唐的修复效果。     

Effect of arsenic contamination on bacterial and fungal biomass and enzyme activities in tropical arsenic-contaminated soils

The importance of assessing the impacts of soil arsenic (As) contamination on microbial properties lay on the fact that microbes are instrumental in nutrient cycling and are therefore indicators of soil quality. In this study, soil chemical extraction methods were used to extract labile and freely exchangeable As (water-soluble As and sodium bicarbonate-extractable As), amorphous/crystalline Fe and Mn oxide-bound As (acid ammonium oxalate-extractable As and hydroxylamine hydrochloride-extractable As), and their impacts on microbial biomass (microbial biomass C, total bacterial and fungal biomass, active bacterial and fungal biomass), enzyme activities representing four major soil biogeochemical cycles, i.e., C (β-glucosidase activity), N (urease activity), P (acid phosphomonoesterase activity), S (acryl-sulfatase activity), and microbial activity (fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis and dehydrogenase activity) were investigated in As-contaminated soils of Ambagarh Chauki block, Chhattisgarh, Central India. The results revealed that the majority of the As in soils resided in the Fe/Mn oxide-bound fraction. The microbial biomass C, total and active fungal biomass, and enzyme activities were significantly inhibited by all the forms of As. However, water-soluble As, even though occupying only a small portion of the total As (0.9–2.9 %), exerted the greatest impact. Interestingly, total and active bacterial biomass was not significantly affected by As toxicity, suggesting their resistance to As. Urease activity was not affected by As pollution.     

植被恢复模式对土壤重金属质量分数和土壤酶活性的影响——以山东省淄博市四宝山破坏山体为例

矿产资源开采造成了严重的重金属污染,为选择合理植被恢复模式以修复土壤重金属污染,以淄博市四宝山破坏山体不同植被恢复模式为对象,测定土壤有机质、全氮、碱解氮、有效磷、速效钾质量分数,pH值等主要化学性质,土壤多酚氧化酶、过氧化氢酶、过氧化物酶、脲酶活性和Cu、Zn、Cd等7种重金属质量分数,分析不同植被恢复模式对土壤重金属质量分数及土壤酶活性的影响.结果表明:1)实验区土壤中重金属Zn轻度污染,Cu和Cd重度污染,其他重金属均不构成污染;2)各人工植被恢复模式土壤重金属质量分数均低于灌草丛的,其中黑松林对土壤Cu、Cd的修复效果最好,侧柏林对土壤Zn的修复效果最好;3)土壤重金属全量在垂直分布上规律复杂,有效量均表现为下层高于上层,土壤有效Cu、有效Zn、有效Cd下层比上层依次高9.24％～18.94％、0.97％～20.09％和5.48％～35.51％;4)在影响土壤酶活性的各种因素中,破坏山体土壤重金属有效量与土壤化学性质的影响最为明显,处于同等重要的地位.本研究发现,Cu、Zn、Cd均对4种土壤酶活性表现出了抑制作用,建议用土壤多酚氧化酶、过氧化氢酶、脲酶活性作为破坏山体土壤重金属Cu污染的评价指标.     

铜与草甘膦单一污染和复合污染对水稻土酶活性的影响

通过实验室培养试验,研究了铜与草甘膦单一污染和复合污染对水稻土中淀粉酶、脲酶、磷酸酶和过氧化氢酶活性的影响。结果表明,铜与草甘膦单一和复合污染对土壤中4种酶活性的影响效果明显不同。当铜单一污染时,抑制淀粉酶、脲酶、磷酸酶的活性,对过氧化氢酶活性的影响是低浓度激活高浓度抑制;而草甘膦单一污染时,对4种酶活性的影响是：激活淀粉酶和脲酶,抑制过氧化氢酶,对磷酸酶活性的影响则是低浓度激活高浓度抑制。铜和草甘膦复合污染,显著改变了铜或草甘磷单一污染对土壤酶的毒性效应。即复合污染对过氧化氢酶的毒性大于单一污染;对淀粉酶、脲酶和磷酸酶的毒性,小于铜单一污染,但大于草甘磷。方差分析结果表明,不同铜浓度间和不同草甘膦浓度间4种酶活性差异均达到极显著水平（P〈0．01）;铜和草甘膦互作浓度间,淀粉酶和脲酶活性差异分别达到了显著水平和极显著水平,其他2种酶活性差异不显著。