Effects of urban heavy metal pollution on organic matter decomposition in Quercus ilex L. Woods

Cotrufo, M. Francesca; Santo, A. Vírzo De; Alfani, Anna; Bartoli, Giovanni; Cristofaro, A. De

doi:10.1016/0269-7491(94)00041-b

Cited by 105 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Our results are therefore consistent with a preferential accumulation of old C 3 organic matter in the polluted soil, particularly in the clay fraction. Even in heavily metal contaminated soils, biological activity occurs (Valsecchi et al, 1995;Aoyama and Nagumo, 1997), but alterations of organic matter decomposition are reported (Berg et al, 1991;Cotrufo et al, 1995).…”

Section: Som and Metal Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between metals and soil organic matter in various particle size fractions of soil contaminated with waste water

Quénéa¹,

Lamy²,

Winterton³

et al. 2009

Geoderma

179

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. Interactions between metals and soil organic matter in various particle size fractions of soil contaminated with waste water. Geoderma, Elsevier, 2009Elsevier, , vol. 1, pp. 217-223. 10.1016Elsevier, /j.geoderma.2008 Open Archive TOULOUSE Archive Ouverte (OATAO) OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. Only scarce field studies concern the consequences of natural soil organic matter (SOM) and metal interactions on SOM dynamics in soils. We investigated the interactions of four metals (Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd) with the SOM associated to five different size fractions (between 2000 µm and b2 µm) of a sandy top soil contaminated by waste water. Metal, organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations were measured and chemical extractions (with Na 4 P 2 O 7 and EDTA) were also performed to assess the variations of SOM-metal interactions irrespective of the size fraction. In addition, as in that selected contaminated site, maize (C 4 plant), replaced C 3 crops 15 years ago, natural isotopic 13 C labelling gave new insights into SOM turnover. First, the results suggest that metals influence the SOM dynamics in that sandy soil: a C 3 "old carbon" enrichment was observed in the small or clay size fractions, while the "new" C 4 carbon associated with sandy soil particles presents a rapid turnover. Metal accumulation in the clay fraction is attributed to particulate organic matter (poorly associated) and SOM decay which overtime accumulated metals and eventually these metal-SOM associations prevent the biological decomposition of such carbon pools. Moreover, the δ 13 C signals, C/N ratios and results from chemical extractions clearly showed differences in the origin, nature and reactivity of the SOM as a function of the size fraction with consequences on the metal behaviour. Differences were observed between metals studied: Zn seems to be mainly bound to SOM associated with clay particles, while Pb seems to prefer to interact directly with the mineral surfaces versus the SOM.

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Section: Som and Metal Interactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between metals and soil organic matter in various particle size fractions of soil contaminated with waste water

Quénéa¹,

Lamy²,

Winterton³

et al. 2009

Geoderma

179

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Meanwhile, the content of trace elements in litterfall and soil in too high concentrations can strongly impact the functioning of forest ecosystems due to their toxicity to organisms [14], and have impact on the intensity of biological processes in soils [29]. Elevated concentrations of some heavy metals can reduce the rate of litter decomposition resulting in its accumulation in forest fl oors [4,8,20,27]. Heavy metals can form relatively stable complexes with soil organic matter and accumulate in ectohumus and humic horizons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Content of Heavy Metals in the Soil and Litterfall an a Beech-Pine-Spruce Stand in Northern Poland

Jończak¹,

Parzych²

2014

Archives of Environmental Protection

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Abstract:The concentrations of Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn in the soil and litterfall, as well as infl ux of the elements to the soils with litterfall were studied in a mixed beech-pine-spruce stand in northern Poland during the years [2007][2008][2009]. Annual infl ux of litterfall to the soil amounted from 3.234 to 4.871 t/ha. Beech, pine and spruce litterfall contributed in total litterfall in 50.8−70.1%, 11.4−11.9% and 1.6−24.0% respectively. The following average annual concentrations of heavy metals in total litterfall during the 3-year study period were noticed: 2469.3-3469.2 mg Mn/kg, 153.6-160.8 mg/kg Zn, 8.0-14.3 mg Ni/kg and 5.0-6.8 mg Cu/kg. In general, the concentrations of Mn and Cu were higher in beech litterfall in comparison to pine and spruce. The contents of Zn and Ni in beech, pine and spruce litterfall were comparable. Annual infl ux of metals to the soil with litterfall was: 10341.6-14422.4 g/ha Mn, 460.3-748.1 g/ha Zn, 37.4-66.6 g/ha Ni and 20.2-31.8 g/ha Cu. The fl uxes were higher for Mn, Zn and Ni, and comparable for Cu in relation to those observed in other beech, pine, spruce and mixed stands in northern Europe.

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“…Decomposition has been less studied in urban environments, and past terrestrial urban decomposition studies mostly focused on comparisons along urban to rural gradients (e.g. McDonnell et al 1997) and on the effects of urban pollution on litter chemistry and decomposability (Fritze 1988;Cotrufo et al 1995;Carreiro et al 1999). When comparing decomposition rates among forest stands of similar age and composition across urban to rural gradients, these studies found that decomposition rates were sometimes more rapid in the urban environment, likely because of warmer temperatures and more earthworms in urban stands Pouyat and Carreiro 2003).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Decomposition of tree leaf litter on pavement: implications for urban water quality

et al. 2013

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Leaf litter may be an important source of nutrients to stormwater and ultimately contribute to eutrophication of surface waters associated with urbanization. Thus, understanding decomposition and nutrient release from leaf litter that falls on impervious surfaces is important for stormwater management. However, few studies have examined leaf litter decomposition in the unique urban environment of the street gutter. We compared decomposition of leaf litter of five street tree species in a parking lot gutter in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. In contrast to our expectations, comparisons with past studies revealed that litter decomposed more rapidly in the gutter than in nearby natural areas. And decomposition rates were as rapid as those measured in other urban settings (forests and streams), with most species losing 80 % of their initial mass after 1 year. Litter of most species had retained more than half of its initial N and P after 1 year. However, in contrast to N, litter P dynamics largely were uncoupled from litter mass dynamics, with litter P increasing and decreasing unpredictably over the year. Shortterm (24 h) laboratory studies revealed that litter had the potential to lose a high fraction of its initial P, with high variation among species (from 27 to 88 %), and a smaller fraction of its initial N (<10 %) via leaching. Thus, street tree species may differ in their potential contributions to nutrients that are released during decomposition. Our results suggest that careful selection of street tree species and timely removal of litterfall have significant potential to reduce nutrient fluxes from streets to storm drains, particularly for P.

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Effects of urban heavy metal pollution on organic matter decomposition in Quercus ilex L. Woods

Cited by 105 publications

References 20 publications

Interactions between metals and soil organic matter in various particle size fractions of soil contaminated with waste water

Interactions between metals and soil organic matter in various particle size fractions of soil contaminated with waste water

The Content of Heavy Metals in the Soil and Litterfall an a Beech-Pine-Spruce Stand in Northern Poland

Decomposition of tree leaf litter on pavement: implications for urban water quality

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