Effects of phytoremediation on soil enzyme activity and thermodynamic characteristics of enzymatic reaction in severe saline-alkali land.

Abstract

With the environmental changes and the increases of anthropogenic disturbance, the area and degree of salinization in saline-alkaline lands of Songnen Plain have been increasing with an unprecedented rate. In this study, the effects of restoration of natural vegetation, Leymus chinensis, Avena sativa and Medicago sativa, on the enzymatic activities and thermomechanical characteristics of enzyme catalyzed reaction of two oxidoreductases (catalase, polyphenol oxidase) and three hydrolases (alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, urease) were investigated in heavily saline-alkaline soils from western Songnen Plain. The results showed that the activities of those five soil enzyme as well as the activation free energy (ΔG) increased with increasing temperature, reaching respective maximum at 40 and 45 ℃. The activation enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) of soil enzyme did not change with increasing temperature. The temperature coefficient (Q10) slightly changed and ranged from 1.05 to 1.36 by every 10 ℃ enhancement of temperature. Compared with the bare land, catalase activity increased in natural vegetation and L. chinensis rehabilitated land, but decreased in A. sativa and M. sativa remediation land. The change of ΔG of catalase showed a contrary trend with that of enzyme activities, while ΔH and ΔS increased in the restoration areas of L. chinensis and A. sativa, and decreased in the restoration of natural vegetation and M. Sativa. The activity of polyphenol oxidase decreased or remained unchanged in all restoration sites, and ΔH and ΔS decreased in natural vegetation and L. chinensis restoration sites, while remained unchanged in A. sativa and M. sativa restoration sites. ΔG of polyphenol oxidase reached the maximum at 40 ℃ in each restoration site and decreased or remained unchanged at other temperatures. The activities of three hydrolytic enzymes increased in each restoration site compared with the bare land, and the ΔG of the enzymes decreased or remained unchanged in each repaired area, while ΔH and ΔS varied greatly among the restoration sites. Taken together, significant responses of soil enzyme activity and their thermodynamic characteristics to temperature change and vegetation restoration were detected, which would provide better understanding for the restoration of heavily salinized soil.