Development of microbial biomass and enzyme activities in mine soils

This study assessed the development of microbial biomass, basal respiration, and the activities of dehydrogenase, urease, and acid phosphomonoesterase in sandy mine soils reclaimed for forestry and those developing under vegetation from natural succession. The mine soils contained significantly less organic C (Corg) and total N (Nt) than the natural forest soils. However, in some of them the microbial biomass and basal respiration attained values typical for the natural forest soils. The content of Nt proved to be the most important control on the microbial biomass, basal respiration, and the activities of dehydrogenase and phosphomonoesterase in the mine soils. All the microbial properties were positively related also to Corg content. The activities of dehydrogenase and urease depended strongly on microbial biomass (Cmic). Hence, high activities of these enzymes were determined in soils containing high Cmic. The acid phosphomonoesterase activity was also positively related to Cmic, but its activity was increased in the soils with low P contents

Soil chemical properties affect the reaction of forest soil bacteria to drought and rewetting stress

Reaction of soil bacteria to drought and rewetting stress may depend on soil chemical properties. The objectives of this study were to test the reaction of different bacterial phyla to drought and rewetting stress and to assess the influence of different soil chemical properties on the reaction of soil bacteria to this kind of stress. The soil samples were taken at ten forest sites and measured for pH and the contents of organic C (C(org)) and total N (N(t)), Zn, Cu, and Pb. The samples were kept without water addition at 20 – 30 °C for 8 weeks and subsequently rewetted to achieve moisture equal to 50 – 60 % of their maximum water-holding capacity. Prior to the drought period and 24 h after the rewetting, the structure of soil bacterial communities was determined using pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The drought and rewetting stress altered bacterial community structure. Gram-positive bacterial phyla, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, increased in relative proportion after the stress, whereas the Gram-negative bacteria in most cases decreased. The largest decrease in relative abundance was for Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. For several phyla the reaction to drought and rewetting stress depended on the chemical properties of soils. Soil pH was the most important soil property influencing the reaction of a number of soil bacterial groups (including all classes of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and others) to drought and rewetting stress. For several bacterial phyla the reaction to the stress depended also on the contents of N(t) and C(org) in soil. The effect of heavy metal pollution was also noticeable, although weaker compared to other chemical soil properties. We conclude that soil chemical properties should be considered when assessing the effect of stressing factors on soil bacterial communities. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13213-014-1002-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The relationship between soil bacteria substrate utilisation patterns and the vegetation structure in temperate forests

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the functional diversity pattern of soil bacteria and the vegetation diversity and structure in temperate forests (Poland). Pine-dominated forests occur on soils with lower pH, fewer nutrient contents (P, Na, Mg, Mn and K) and higher C/N and C/P ratios than beech-dominated forests and mixed broadleaved forest with hornbeam and ash. Both forest type and soil horizon (O and A) strongly influenced bacterial catabolic activity and the number of substrates decayed on Biolog® ECO plates. Pine forest soil bacteria were less active and less functionally diverse than those in deciduous forest soils. The community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs) were dissimilar (one-way analysis of similarities) between pine and mixed deciduous forests, but only in the O soil horizon. Carboxylic acids primarily contributed to the average dissimilarity in CLPP between forests (the similarity percentage procedure); these substrates are preferentially used by pine forest soil bacteria. The canonical correspondence analysis indicated that soil pH, nitrogen and organic matter contents and plant diversity index H′plant were related to bacterial CLPP in the O soil horizon. Only for the soil O horizon, the Mantel test showed a clear relationship between vegetation structure and bacterial CLPP

Chemical and microbial properties of sandy mine soils afforested with Scots pine and silver birch

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 (C_{org}) and total N (Nt), the C_{org}-to-N_{t} 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 C_{org} and N_{t} 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 pronounced, probably due to functional redundancy of soil bacteria

Relationships between microbial and chemical properties in mine soils reclaimed for forestry

Tyt. z nagłówka.Bibliogr. s. 34-35.W kompleksowych badaniach gleb pogórniczych konieczny jest pomiar kilku różnych właściwości mikrobiologicznych, dlatego badane właściwości należy dobierać tak, aby maksymalizować ilość zdobywanych informacji. Celem pracy była ocena współzależnosci pomiędzy właściwościami mikrobiologicznymi gleb poprzemysłowych zrekultywowanych dla leśnictwa oraz ocena zależności właściwości mikrobiologicznych od wybranych właściwości chemicznych i fizykochemicznych gleb. W próbkach gleb zmierzono biomasę mikrobiologiczną, respirację podstawową, aktywność dehydrogenazy, fosfatazy kwaśnej i ureazy oraz właściwości fizjologiczne zespołów mikroorganizmów glebowych, które oznaczono metodą Biolog®. Ponadto oznaczono zawartość C, N oraz pH w KCl. Do analizy współzależności pomiędzy badanymi właściwościami zastosowano metodę korelacji Spearmana. Większość badanych właściwości mikrobiologicznych była ze sobą skorelowana. Jednakże wskaźniki mikrobiologiczne uzyskane metodą Biolog® słabo korelowały z biomasą mikrobiologiczną i aktywnościami enzymów glebowych, co oznacza, że dostarczały komplementarnych informacji o zespołach mikroorganizmów glebowych. Aktywności fosfatazy kwaśnej i ureazy zależały, przede wszystkim od biomasy mikroorganizmów glebowych. Pozytywna korelacja pomiędzy indeksem Shannona obliczonym na podstawie wyników analizy metodą Biolog® a biomasą mikroorganizmów glebowych wykazała wzrost zdolności fizjologicznych zespołów mikroorganizmów glebowych wraz ze wzrostem biomasy mikrobiologicznej w glebach pogórniczych.Measurement of several microbial properties is necessary for comprehensive assessment of mine soils. Therefore, the applied methods should maximize amount of acquired information. Objectives of the work were to assess relationships between microbial properties of mine soils and to assess of their dependence on some soil chemical and physico-chemical properties. The measured microbial properties included microbial biomass, basal respiration, activities of dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase and urease. Biolog® assay was used to assess physiological properties of soil microbial communities. The chemical and physico-chemical properties included the contents of C, N and pH in KCl. Spearman correlation was applied to study relationships between the properties measured. Most of microbial properties were correlated with each other. However, the Biolog® derived parameters weakly correlated with Cmic and enzyme activities what indicates that they bear complementary information on soil microbial communities. Activities of acid phosphatase and urease depended mainly on microbial biomass. Positive correlation between Shannon index based on Biolog® data and microbial biomass indicates that in the mine soil the physiological abilities of microbial communities increase as increases the microbial biomass.Dostępny również w formie drukowanej.SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: gleby pogórnicze, biomasa mikrobiologiczna, respiracja, biolog®, enzymy glebowe. KEYWORDS: mine soils, microbial biomass, respiration, biolog®, soil enzymes

Ochrona środowiska wodnego w Nadreńskim Zagłębiu Węgla Brunatnego

Tyt. z nagłówka.Bibliografia s. [115].Dostępny również w formie drukowanej.STRESZCZENIE: Złoża węgla brunatnego w Nadreńskim Zagłębiu Węgla Brunatnego cechują się korzystnymi uwarunkowaniami geologicznymi jednakże często sąsiadują z terenami cennymi przyrodniczo. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono przykłady działań podejmowanych w celu minimalizacji wpływu eksploatacji węgla brunatnego na wody powierzchniowe oraz tereny podmokłe. Zaprezentowane przykłady działań prośrodowiskowych realizowanych w Nadreńskim Zagłębiu Węgla Brunatnego wykazują, że możliwe jest całkowite zniwelowanie negatywnego oddziaływania prac eksploatacyjnych na wody powierzchniowe oraz ekosystemy podmokłe. SŁOWA KLUCZOWE: eksploatacja odkrywkowa, tereny podmokłe, rzeki. ABSTRACT: The lignite deposits in the Lower Rhine Basin have advantageous geological conditions but are often located in the vicinity of ecologically valuable areas. In this work we present the examples of activities aimed at minimization of lignite extraction influences on surface waters and wetlands. The presented examples indicate that it is possible to entirely exclude negative effects of open-cast lignite extraction on the surface waters and wetlands. KEYWORDS: surface mining, wetlands, rivers