Assessment of heavy metals contamination in soils in the Beskidy mountain forests and their potential impact on soil enzyme activities and microbial community

Abstract

The research was carried out 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 aim of the study was to assess the heavy metal load in the soils of the studied area and to determine their potential impact on soil metabolism. The research was carried out on 6 permanent sites. For each site, the total content of zinc (Zn), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) was determined for three soil levels (A, B and C). Moreover, the following were determined: total nitrogen, organic carbon, pH and soil moisture and the amount of heavy metals in soil solutions. The metabolic activity of the soil was assessed by measuring: soil enzymes activity, soil respiration and by studying community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog ECO-plates. In the case of Pb and Cd their increased content in the topsoil was found, which indicates their anthropogenic origin. Statistical analysis showed that in the case of very acidic forest soil even slightly elevated lead level probably can affect the functional biodiversity of soil microorganisms. The study showed that it is not easy to assess the impact of heavy metals on soil metabolism. Some indicators such as the activity of soil enzymes used individually may not be sufficient to illustrate the changes occurring in the soil environment.

Structural and functional characteristics of soil microbial communities in response to different ecological risk levels of heavy metals

“…This means that only focusing on changes in microbial communities is insufficient for identifying soil functions. Evaluating the ability of microorganisms to metabolize carbon sources immediately reflects the metabolic demands of microbial communities exposed to HMs ( Borgulat et al, 2021 ). Soil microorganisms can also promote carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles ( Tian et al, 2021 ; Wang X. et al, 2022 ).…”