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The main objectives of our study were to evaluate soil contamination on a zinc-lead spoil heap in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region in southern Poland using pollution indices, and to investigate the relation between soil properties and the natural succession of vegetation. Organic carbon and nitrogen, pH, soil texture, base cations, and heavy metal content were analyzed in soil samples at depths of 0–15 cm below the organic horizon over a regular grid of 14 sampling plots. The contents of Zn, Pb, and Cd exceeded by several times the acceptable thresholds. Measurements of soil enzyme activity were used to evaluate the progress of vegetation development in relation to soil chemical properties. The results indicate that heavy metals had a significant impact on soil enzyme activity and the development of vegetation cover. High contents of Pb and Cd reduced enzyme activity, while this activity increased with increasing amounts of soil organic matter. Further, the accumulative capacities of heavy metals in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and aboveground biomass of bladder campion (Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke) were examined. A high accumulation of Zn, Pb, and Cd in the aboveground tissues of S. vulgaris indicated an unusual tolerance of this species to heavy metals and the possibility of using this species in phytoremediation of post-industrial sites.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of metal contamination on microbial functional diversity and enzyme activity in forest soils. This study involved the evaluation of the influence of the texture, carbon content and distance to the source of contamination on the change in soil microbial activity, which did not investigate in previous studies. The study area is located in southern Poland near the city of Olkusz around the flotation sedimentation pond of lead and zinc at the Mining and Metallurgical Company “ZGH Bolesław, Inc.”. The central point of the study area was selected as the middle part of the sedimentation pond. The experiment was conducted over a regular 500 × 500-m grid, where 33 sampling points were established. Contents of organic carbon and trace elements (Zn, Pb and Cd), pH and soil texture were investigated. The study included the determination of dehydrogenase and urease activities and microbial functional diversity evaluation based on the community-level physiological profiling approach by Biolog EcoPlate. The greatest reduction in the dehydrogenase and urease activities was observed in light sandy soils with Zn content >220 mg · kg−1 and a Pb content > 100 mg · kg−1. Soils with a higher concentration of fine fraction, despite having the greatest concentrations of metals, were characterized by high rates of Biolog®-derived parameters and a lower reduction of enzyme activity.

Combustion wastes are characterised by extremely low N contents. Therefore, introduction of nitrogen-fixing species at the first stage of their biological reclamation is required. This paper presents an assessment of the growth parameters of alders (Alnus sp.) 10 years after their introduction to a disposal site of lignite combustion waste in Central Poland. Black (Alnus glutinosa) and grey alders (Alnus incana) were planted directly in the combustion waste. The soil amendment included three variants: control with pure combustion waste, admixture of lignite culm and addition of acid sand. Both alder species displayed good growth parameters comparable to those of alders in natural habitats. However, black alder had better growth parameters, such as stand density index (SDI), diameter at breast height (DBH) and height (H) than grey alder. The lignite amendment exerted a positive effect on tree growth, reflected in a higher SDI and H, whereas the acid sand amendment did not affect any of the growth parameters of the studied alder species. Despite the good growth parameters, the measured N:P and N:K ratios in the alder leaves largely differed from the optimal values indicating insufficient P and K supply at the combustion waste disposal site. This may pose a threat to further development of the introduced tree plantings. The introduction of alders along with the lignite addition into the planting holes seems to be a successful method of combustion waste revegetation.