Zmeny spoločenstiev bystruškovitých rôznych typov habitatov poľnohospodárskej krajiny v závislosti od vybraných environmentálnych faktorov vrátane pôdnych vlastností

The variations in ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) assemblages across the three types of farmland habitats, arable land, meadows and woody vegetation were studied in relation to vegetation cover structure, intensity of agrotechnical interventions and selected soil properties. Material was pitfall trapped in 2010 and 2011 on twelve sites of the agricultural landscape in the Prešov town and its near vicinity, Eastern Slovakia. A total of 14,763 ground beetle individuals were entrapped. Material collection resulted into 92 Carabidae species, with the following six species dominating: Poecilus cupreus, Pterostichus melanarius, Pseudoophonus rufipes, Brachinus crepitans, Anchomenus dorsalis and Poecilus versicolor. Studied habitats differed significantly in the number of entrapped individuals, activity abundance as well as representation of the carabids according to their habitat preferences and ability to fly. However, no significant distinction was observed in the diversity, evenness neither dominance. The most significant environmental variables affecting Carabidae assemblages species variability were soil moisture and herb layer 0-20 cm. Another best variables selected by the forward selection were intensity of agrotechnical interventions, humus content and shrub vegetation. The other from selected soil properties seem to have just secondary meaning for the adult carabids. Environmental variables have the strongest effect on the habitat specialists, whereas ground beetles without special requirements to the habitat quality seem to be affected by the studied environmental variables just little.Zmeny v spoločenstvách bystruškovitých (Coleoptera: Carabidae) troch typov habitatov poľnohospodárskej krajiny, t.j. ornej pôdy, trvalo trávnych porastov a mimolesnej krovinovej vegetácie boli sledované v závislosti od štruktúry vegetačnej pokrývky, intenzity agrotechnických zásahov a vybraných pôdnych vlastností. Materiál bol zbieraný metódou formalínových zemných pascí v rokoch 2010 a 2011 v rámci 12-tich stanovíšť poľnohospodárskej krajiny v urbánnej zóne mesta Prešov a jeho blízkeho okolia na východnom Slovensku. V rámci uvedeného zberu bolo odchytených celkovo 14 763 jedincov a determinovaných 92 druhov bystruškovitých. Dominantnými druhmi boli: Poecilus cupreus, Pterostichus melanarius, Pseudoophonus rufipes, Brachinus crepitans, Anchomenus dorsalis and Poecilus versicolor. Spoločenstvá sledovaných biotopov sa signifikantne líšili v počte odchytených jedincov, epigeickej aktivite ako aj zastúpení bystrušiek vo vzťahu k ich habitatovým preferenciám a letovým schopnostiam. Výskum však nepotvrdil signifikantné rozdiely v diverzite, ekvitabilite ani dominancii. Z nami sledovaných environmentálnych premenných kompozíciu spoločenstva bystruškovitých najvýznamnejšie ovplyvňuje pôdna vlhkosť a vegetačný kryt s výškou 0-20 cm. Ďalšími významnými premennými, ktoré vplývajú na kompozíciu spoločenstva sú intenzita agrotechnických zásahov, obsah pôdneho humusu a krovinová vegetácia. Ostatné zo sledovaných pôdnych vlastností majú na dospelé jedince bystrušiek len sekudárny vplyv. Rovnako, environmentálne premenné najvýraznejšie ovplyvňujú habitatových špecialistov, zatiaľ čo druhy bystrušiek bez vyhranených nárokov na podmienky prostredia sú ovplyvnené uvedenými faktormi len málo

Soil Contamination in the Problem Areas of Agrarian Slovakia

Landfills, old and abandoned mines, industrial sites, heaps, sludge ponds and other sources of pollution represent environmental threats and are characterized as chemical time bombs. This work is focused on the evaluation of soil contamination by risk elements using various indices (geoaccumulation index—Igeo, enrichment factor—EF, contamination factor—Cif and degree of contamination—Cd). These selected agrarian problem areas are located in Slovakia, especially in the air pollution field of landfills consisting of power plant fly ash, tannery and footwear wastes, leachate (lúženec), iron ore slag, waste from metallurgy and sludge ponds in which coal sludge waste is deposited and waste from ore treatment. Nine research sites in the agrarian region of Slovak Republic were monitored. Ten risk elements (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd and Hg) and pH/H2O were included in this study and were determined in surface soils (of 0.05 m to 0.15 m) using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Our study showed the highest exceedance of the limit values of risk elements in the order Ni (51.85 times) > Co (25.47 times) > Cd (13.70 times) > Cu (12.78 times) > Cr (8.37 times) > Fe (8.26 times) > Hg (7.94 times) > Zn (5.71 times) > Pb (4.63 times). The content of risk elements increased based on the average values of Igeo in the order of Cr < Hg < Zn < Pb < Ni < Cu < Cd. Igeo values for cadmium indicated mild-to-extreme contamination at all sites. We found the most significant enrichment in the order of Cd > Cu > Pb > Ni > Zn > Hg > Cr. EF values for cadmium indicated extremely high enrichment; the Cif and Cd values indicated a very high degree of soil contamination near the nickel smelter landfill, an industrial metallurgical plant and old but active mines. The studied areas pose a serious danger not only to the soil but also to groundwater and biota due to the prevailing low soil reaction, which increases the mobility of toxic elements. The study provides important results for the development of effective strategies for the control and remediation of endangered areas

Metal Pollution Assessment of Surface Water in the Emission Field of the Slovinky Tailing Impoundment (Slovakia)

The focus of this work is on the evaluation of selected water quality indicators as per the applicable regulations, taking into account European and national legislation and the evaluation of the risk of contamination of surface waters with toxic elements using the contamination factor (Cfi) and the degree of pollution (Cd). The studied area of Slovinky is an important ore region, with rich deposits of copper and silver ores that have been mined for centuries. One of the most important remnants of mining activities in this area is the Slovinky tailing impoundment. The sludge pond area has an area of 15 ha, and the height of the dam is 113 m above sea level, which makes the sludge pond one of the tallest water structures in Slovakia. The Slovinský creek was monitored in the years 2010, 2011, and 2019 at five sampling points, which were selected to map the entire length of the water flow from the source to the estuary to the river Hornád. Risk elements (As, Cu, Cd, and Fe) and physicochemical parameters (such as temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, conductivity, resistivity, salinity, total dissolved solids, NaCl, redox potential, and pH) were included in this study and evaluated according to applicable regulations, taking into account European legislation (Act No. 269/2010 Coll., guideline value WHO 2011). The results of the experimental studies showed that the highest values of As and Cu were measured at the site where drainage waters from the Slovinky tailing impoundment and mining water of the Alžbeta shaft flow into the creek. The concentration of As exceeded the limit value by up to 31 times and the concentration of Cu 16.8–134.5 times. At the same time, the highest values of conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids, and NaCl were found, and there was no acidification of water at the site that had the highest pollution. Water contamination was assessed based on Cfi and Cd; our findings showed that the surface water from the site of contamination, along the entire length of the stream, was very highly contaminated with risk elements in the order of As > Fe > Cu, and the level of contamination decreased with distance from the site of contamination. Our research shows that seepage of toxic substances from sludge ponds and abandoned mines has caused the requirements for the quality of surface water of the Slovinský creek not to be met. In connection with mining activities, surface streams act as a transport medium through which other components of the environment can be polluted

Functional diversity of soil microorganisms in the conditions of an ecological farming system

In the current study, we investigate the relationships among the soil functional diversity, physicochemical properties and heavy metals presence in an ecological farming system. The soil samples were collected from permanent research sites, from A soil horizons, at a depth from 0.05 m to 0.15 m, in June 2018. In fresh soil samples, we evaluated the metabolic profiles of their microbial communities, using Biolog® Eco Plates. The research showed that the soil physical properties got adjusted after a long-term application of an ecological farming system and that the measured values were stabilised, reaching the levels comparable with the average values for the relevant soil type. It is necessary to devote a continual attention to soil reaction, because soil is naturally acidified through acid atmospheric fallout as well as through calcium uptake-off by plants. The values of the selected heavy metals in the monitored period did not exceed the limit values specified in the Act No. 220/2004 Coll. Based on the results of Shannon’s diversity, we can conclude that the diversity in the investigated sites was low, from moderate to medium. The differences (3.26–3.36) among all 11 study localities were very small and not significant. There were determined the correlations between the soil functional diversity, soil physicochemical properties, and heavy metal contents. The average well colour development (AWCD) positively correlated with soil reaction and with Mg content and significantly negatively correlated with contents of Hg, Zn and Cu; equitability significantly positively correlated with soil reaction, Mg, AWCD and Shannon’s diversity. Spearman’s correlation coefficients confirmed the positive correlation between Shannon’s diversity and soil reaction, AWCD and Mg. In our study, no correlation was found between the functional diversity of microorganisms and the soil physical properties

Transfer of Potentially Toxic Elements in the Soil-Plant System in Magnesite Mining and Processing Areas

Mining activities, ore concentrations, and transport processes generate large amounts of pollutants, including hazardous elements, which are released into the environment. This work presents the results of experimental research aimed at evaluating the environmental risks of soil and plant contamination in two magnesite mining and processing areas in the Slovak Republic, and assesses the phytoremediation potential of dominant plant species. Eleven potentially toxic elements in the soil were investigated using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, As, Ni, Mn, Mg, Fe) and atomic absorption spectrometry (Hg). In plants, potentially toxic elements were investigated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Cu, As, Cd, Pb) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (Cr, Zn, Mn, Mg). Selected soil parameters (pH, redox potential, and soil organic matter) were also investigated. Soil contamination was evaluated using environmental indices (geoaccumulation index—Igeo, enrichment factor—EF, contamination factor—Cf, degree of contamination—Cd). The phytoremediation potential of plants was evaluated using the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and the translocation factor (TF). The soil reaction in the studied areas indicated a strong alkalization of the soil. The soils in Jelšava-Lubeník were significantly contaminated with Cr, As, Mn, and Mg. The most significant enrichment based on the average values of EF was found to be in the order of Cd > Mg > Zn > Cu > As > Cr > Ni > Pb > Fe > Hg > Mn. The observed values of Cf and Cd indicated a high degree of soil contamination. In Košice, the soils were found to be significantly contaminated with Cr, Mn, Mg, and Ni. The most significant enrichment was found in the order of Cd > Mn > Ni > Pb > Zn > Mg > Cu > As > Fe > Cr > Hg. Very high Cf was found for Pb and Cr. The results of correlation and hierarchical cluster analyses suggest a similar origin of pollutants caused by significant anthropogenic interventions due to magnesite mining and processing. The investigated dominant plant species, Phragmites australis, Agrostis stolonifera, Elytrigia repens, and Taraxacum officinale are able to accumulate high concentrations of the monitored potentially toxic elements without more serious load or damage. The results of BCF and TF confirmed that P. australis and T. officinale appeared to be suitable accumulators in the phytoextraction process. In the case of E. repens and A. stolonifera it was confirmed that they accumulate and immobilize high concentrations of potentially toxic elements, especially in the roots, establishing the suitability of their use in phytostabilization processes

Variations of selected soil properties in the grass fields invaded and uninvaded by invasive goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.)

Although the invasion of exotic plants has been recognised as the serious cause of the biodiversity loss and natural habitats degradation and threat to the ecosystems functions, just the little attention has been paid to the potential impacts of the goldenrod invasion on the soil properties. Equally, currently obtained results are contrary and ambiguous. We tested whether the grass fields invaded and uninvaded by Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) differ in pH, soil moisture, organic carbon (Cox), humus and P, K and Mg contents and related the variations to the chosen environmental variables. We did not find significant distinctions of the studied types of habitats in the selected physico-chemical soil properties as well as the relation between the goldenrod invasion and the changes in soil properties. Nevertheless, whereas the soil reaction, soil moisture and Mg content were higher in the invaded soils, the Cox, humus and P and K contents were higher in the uninvaded ones. Doubtless, further attention need to be paid to this problem

THE USE OF NATURAL SUBSTANCES AS A CONTRIBUTION TO SOLVING THE REVITALIZATION OF CONTAMINATED AREAS

Abstract Th