Development of Microbial Biomass and Enzyme Activities in Mine Soils (original) (raw)
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Enzymatic Activity of Soils Forming on an Afforested Heap from an Opencast Sulphur Mine
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Post-mining areas require reclamation. The main aim of reclamation is to restore the soil as a basic element of the terrestrial ecosystem. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the enzymatic activity of soils formed on an afforested heap from an opencast sulphur mine. Six research sites were selected on the overburden heap of the Piaseczno sulphur mine, afforested 50 years ago. They differed in the type of soil in the subsoil and in the species composition of the stand. The activity of dehydrogenases, phosphatases, urease, total organic carbon, and total nitrogen was determined and statistical analysis of the obtained results showed that the activity of the evaluated enzymes in the soils formed in the reclaimed areas was significantly dependent on the type of substrate and the species composition of the plants. The activity of the evaluated enzymes was significantly positively correlated with the content of total nitrogen and the C/N ratio, and the activity of phosphat...
Development of microbial properties in a chronosequence of sandy mine soils
Applied Soil Ecology, 2009
Potential nitrogen mineralization rate Community level physiological profiles a b s t r a c t Soil microbial communities are of crucial importance for the functioning of ecosystems developing in post-mining areas. The objective of this study was to compare the properties of microbial communities in mine soils reclaimed for forestry and in mine soils developing under vegetation from natural succession. Soil samples were taken from a degraded site prior to reclamation (MS), a site after 2 years of lupine cultivation (LUP), reclaimed postmining sites afforested with Scots pine (R6, R20, R28), post-mining sites with spontaneously developing pine forest stands (S6, S20, S27) and two natural pine forest stands (F30, F100).
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2013
Various soil amendments were investigated in a field experiment to revegetate a surface coal mine in Vietnam. The effect of power station ash, charred rice straw and fine material from the mine on soil chemistry, soil enzyme activities and plant growth was tested. Enzymes evaluated were b-glucosidase, urease, acid and alkaline phosphatase, arylsulphatase, catalase, arginine ammonification and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis. Due to the small amount of amendments, applied for economic reasons, and nutrient leaching during periods of high precipitation, only acid phosphatase activity was affected by treatments after four months. Plant height after 1.5 years was not found to be affected. We conclude that for monitoring soil quality of acid, P-deficient substrates from subtropical surface coal mines, the activity of acid phosphatase may be a useful bioindicator.
Scientific Reports
Knowledge about biotic (plant species diversity, biomass) and/or abiotic (physicochemical substrate parameters) factors that determine enzyme activity and functional diversity of the substrate on hard coal spoil heaps is limited. Spontaneously developed vegetation patches dominated by herbaceous species commonly occurring on these spoil heaps: grasses (Poa compressa, Calamagrostis epigejos) and forbs (Daucus carota, Tussilago farfara), were examined. The activity of dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase was twice as high in plots dominated by grass species compared with those dominated by forbs. Significant positive correlations were found between the activity of dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase with pH, available P, soil moisture, and water holding capacity and negative correlations between the activity of urease and soil organic carbon. Strong positive correlations were found between values for Shannon–Wiener diversity index, evenness, species richness and soil functional d...
Mining activities alter the normal soil properties and negatively affect the ecosystem and environment by many ways. Assessing the damage done to the soil is very important to know the actual status of soil health. Soil health and fertility can be measured by the amount of microorganisms present and activity of different soil enzymes. Number of microorganisms shows amount of stress and unfavorable conditions. In the present study, colony forming units of microorganisms were found relatively higher in natural forest soils in comparison to soil collected from dump sites. Soil enzyme activities are very sensitive to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances and show a quick response to the induced changes so they can express the changes that may have happened in the soil due to mining. Soil phosphatase and dehydrogenase activity in natural forest have been found higher as compared to dump soil. In contrast, higher catalase activity
Effect of texture and tree species on microbial properties of mine soils
Applied Soil Ecology, 2010
Reestablishment of soil microbial communities is a prerequisite for successful reclamation of post-mining barrens. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of texture of soil substrate and the planted tree species on microbial properties of mine soils reclaimed for forestry. Soil samples were taken from loamy sands and sands afforested with Scots pine and silver birch either in monocultures or in the mixed stands. The samples were measured for the contents of organic C (C org), total N (N t) and pH. The examined microbial properties included basal respiration (RESP), microbial biomass (C mic), C micto-C org ratio, activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphomonoesterase and urease and community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) studied using Biolog ® Ecoplates. The loamy sands had higher pH, contained more C org , N t and C mic and exhibited higher basal respiration and enzyme activities than the sands. However, their C mic-to-C org ratio was lower indicating less availability of C org for soil microbes compared with the sands. The CLPPs in the loamy sands differed from those in the sands although there was no difference in microbial diversity (expressed as Shannon's diversity index) and activity on the Biolog ® plates between the two textural classes. Tree species did not affect C org , N t and C org-toN t ratio and had only a weak effect on CLPPs. However, the values of C mic , RESP, C mic-to-C org ratio, dehydrogenase and urease activities were significantly lower under pine compared with the birch and mixed stands. The obtained results suggest that the texture of soil substrate is of higher importance for microbial properties of the studied mine soils than the planted vegetation.
Soil dehydrogenase enzyme activity in natural and mine soil - A review
Middle East Journal of Scientific Research, 2013
Soil enzyme activities are very sensitive to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances and show a quick response to the induced changes. Soil dehydrogenase enzymes are one of the main components of soil enzymatic activities participating in and assuring the correct sequence of all the biochemical routes in soil biogeochemical cycles. Dehydrogenase activity is measured by two methods using the TTC and INT substrate; however, various authors reported poor results when TTC is used as substrate. Different biotic and abiotic factors such as incubation time and temperature, pre-incubation, soil aeration and moisture content have significant effect on dehydrogenase activity in soil. Highest dehydrogenase activity is reported from forest soil in autumn seasons while the disturbed soil from coal mines soils containing lowest dehydrogenase activities along the soil erosion gradient of experimental slopes. Least value of enzymes activity is reported from polluted sites than restored and undisturbed sites. Dehydrogenase enzyme is often used as a measure of any disruption caused by pesticides, trace elements or management practices to the soil, as well as a direct measure of soil microbial activity.
Chemical and microbial properties of sandy mine soils afforested with Scots pine and silver birch
2011
The objective of this study was to compare chemical and microbial properties of sandy mine soils under young Scots pine, silver birch, and mixed pine-birch forest stands. The measured properties included the contents of organic C (Corg) and total N (Nt), the Corg-to-Nt ratio, pH, microbial biomass, basal respiration, and activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphomonoesterase, and urease. Community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) of soil bacteria were determined with Biolog ® test and genetic profiles with the DGGE method. Scots pine and silver birch did not affect the Corg and Nt contents in the studied mine soils. The soil under birch contained larger and more active microbial biomass than the soil under pine. Under the mixed stand, most of the microbial properties were intermediate between the pine and the birch stand. The DGGE profiling indicated different composition of soil bacteria under the birch stand compared to the other stands. Differences in CLPPs were less pronounce...
Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology, 2013
Mining activities lead to land degradation and alter ecosystem functions. Monitoring land degradation status is essential to take appropriate and timely conservation measures. Soil genesis during early years of mine spoil reclamation is critical and may help to predict reclamation success. The microbial activity is significantly influenced by the physicochemical properties, and hence, the assessment of these changes is essential for soil management practices. In the present investigation, the physico-chemical characterization and the activities of six different enzymes (amylase, invertase, protease, urease, phosphatase and dehydrogenase) were periodically analyzed with respect to different coal mine overburden spoil in chronosequence over a period of 10 yr, and compared with the native forest soil, in order to assess their effectiveness in reclaiming mine overburden spoil. Comparative analysis suggested that there was gradual increase in enzyme activities from a nutrient deficient situation (fresh mine spoil) to an enriched soil (native forest soil). Besides, the variation in enzyme activities was significantly attributable to differences in physico-chemical properties. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed in order to determine the contribution of different physico-chemical properties influencing the variability in enzyme activities. Further, principal component analysis was able to discriminate six coal mine overburden spoils and native forest soil into independent clusters on the basis of their physico-chemical properties and enzyme activities. The study clearly revealed that the change in microbial indices in terms of enzyme activities were more responsive and correlated very well with the extent of land degradation, and therefore, can serve as biomarker for reclamation studies.
Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 1992
Microbial population numbers and their enzyme activities in terms of different enzymes, namely dehydrogenase, urease and phosphatase, were estimated in four forest stands (two at low and two at higher altitudes). The two forest stands at each altitude were at different stages of regeneration. At both altitudes, fungal and bacterial population numbers were higher in the less degraded forests than in the more degraded ones. Consequently, the different enzyme activities were also greater in the less degraded forest soils. A correlation coefficient was calculated between fungal population numbers, bacterial population numbers, soil moisture, organic C and the various enzymes activities. Dehydrogenase. activity showed a positive correlation with fungal population numbers in all of the forest stands. However, the bacterial population numbers only showed a significant correlation (r = 0.639, P < 0.05) with dehydrogenase enzyme in the less degraded forest at the lower altitude. A significant positive correlation was established between urease activity and fimgal and bacterial population numbers at the lower altitude, but only with the fungal population numbers at the higher altitude. At the higher altitude no significant correlation could be established with phosphatase and any of these traits. At the lower altitude, however, phosphatase showed a positive correlation with organic C and fungal population numbers. These enzymes showed a marked seasonality. The results of the investigation indicated that disturbance of soil and vegetation has an adverse effect on microbial population numbers and microbial enzyme activities.