Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the potential impact of lead on soil metabolism in two landscape parks localized in the Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki mountains which were affected, among others, by air pollution from the Upper Silesian Industrial Region, the largest industrial zone in Poland. The study was carried out in six locations with different lead levels in the soil environment. Each plot was equipped with four pairs of vacuum ceramic lysimeters to assess the mobility of Pb in the soil. The metabolic activity was assessed by measuring: soil enzyme activity, soil respiration and by studying community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog EcoPlates technique. The soil to the examination was collected near the stands with the lysimeters from two soil horizons (A and B layer). The analyses carried out showed that the factors that had the greatest influence on lead mobility were the organic carbon content and the soil pH. The elevated lead level in the topsoil (layer A) could affect the functional biodiversity of soil microorganisms, but low soil pH was a more likely limiting factor. In the subsoil (layer B), lower lead content was found and its probable effect on soil microbial activity was small. In summary, it can be concluded that the assessment of the influence of heavy metals on soil metabolism is not easy, and the Biolog system has proven to be a sensitive tool for assessing the potential impact of heavy metals on the soil environment.
Highlights
Over the years, the Beskidy region was subjected to strong anthropopressure from the surrounding industrial areas (Kłos et al, 2018; Uziębło et al, 2012)
In the research on soil humus collected in Czech part of the Beskidy Mountains bordering the Beskid Śląski and conducted in the early 2000s by Suchara and Sucharova (2002), it was found there was an increased deposition of trace elements like: Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, As, and Pb
The study found that elevated lead content in the soil environment, especially at low soil pH, may affect soil metabolism in forest ecosystems of the Beskidy mountain forests
Summary
The Beskidy region was subjected to strong anthropopressure from the surrounding industrial areas (Kłos et al, 2018; Uziębło et al, 2012). This thesis is confirmed by the decrease in the amount of pollutants reaching forest ecosystems, including heavy metals and acidic compounds, noticeable since 2000s, when many industrial plants began to close down on the mentioned areas (Staszewski & Kubiesa, 2008; Staszewski et al, 2008). It is believed that air pollution and other factors such as progressive soil acidification, pathogens, inadequate planting material, and drought could have had. 839 Page 2 of 14 an impact on the dieback of spruce — most common tree in the Beskidy mountain forests. There is a lack of information about the possible impact of deposited pollutants like heavy metals including lead on the other parts of environment like the soil microflora
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