Response of carbon and microbial properties to risk elements pollution in arctic soils

Xiaowen Ji; Evgeny Abakumov; Svetlana Chigray; Sheker Saparova; Vyacheslav Polyakov; Wenjuan Wang; Daishe Wu; Chunlan Li; Yu Huang; Xianchuan Xie

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124430

Response of carbon and microbial properties to risk elements pollution in arctic soils

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Apr 15:408:124430. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124430. Epub 2020 Oct 31.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, School of Resources Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199178, Russian Federation; School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK, S7N 5B3, Canada.
² Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199178, Russian Federation.
³ Department of Applied Ecology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199178, Russian Federation; Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, 199397, Russian Federation; Department of Soil Science and Agrochemistry, Saint-Petersburg State Agrarian University, Pushkin, Saint Petersburg 19660, Russian Federation.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, School of Resources Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China.
⁵ Institute for Global Innovation and Development, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, PR China; School of Urban and Regional Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China.
⁶ Center for Eco-Environment Research, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210098, PR China.
⁷ Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, School of Resources Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, PR China. Electronic address: 24255542@qq.com.

PMID: 33176958
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124430

Abstract

A 180-day incubation study was conducted to evaluate the effects of risk elements (REs) on organic carbon use and microbial activities in organic soils in the Arctic during the summer snowmelt period. Soils were artificially spiked with Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, As, and a combination of these REs according to the levels measured in Arctic soils from REs-polluted industrial sites. During the incubation period, microbial activities and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) formation were inhibited, and microbial quotient (qCO2) values were relatively high in the spiked soils indicating that more energy was used by microbes for maintenance under REs stress. Meanwhile, microbial metabolism was significantly restrained. Microbial Specific phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were reduced in RE spiked soils relative to the control, especially in the As- and multi-RE-spiked soils. The abundance of both fungi and bacteria was reduced in response to RE amendments by 14-24% and 1-55%, respectively. PLFA biomarkers indicated a shift in soil microbial community structure and activities influenced by REs, consequently having a negative effect on soil organic carbon degradation. This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding the alternation of biochemical reactions in Arctic soils under anthropogenic REs with relevant contamination levels.

Keywords: Arctic soil; Microbial biomass carbon; Microbial carbon decomposition; Microbial community; Risk elements.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biomass
Carbon
Fungi
Soil Microbiology
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Soil Pollutants* / toxicity
Soil*

Substances

Soil
Soil Pollutants
Carbon