Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in typical oasis soil of north-western China and the bacterial community response

Zhenyu Huang; Yi Liu; Heng Dai; Dongwei Gui; Bill X Hu; Jin Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.112401

Spatial distribution and source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in typical oasis soil of north-western China and the bacterial community response

Environ Res. 2022 Mar;204(Pt D):112401. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112401. Epub 2021 Nov 18.

Authors

Zhenyu Huang¹, Yi Liu², Heng Dai³, Dongwei Gui², Bill X Hu⁴, Jin Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ecology and Institute of Hydrobiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, 510632, Guangzhou, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011, Urumqi, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, NO. 68 Jincheng Street, East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, 430078, Wuhan, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Yangtze Catchment Environmental Aquatic Science, China University of Geosciences, NO. 68 Jincheng Street, East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, 430078, Wuhan, China. Electronic address: daiheng@cug.edu.cn.
⁴ School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, 250022, Jinan, Shandong, China. Electronic address: bill.x.hu@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Ecology and Institute of Hydrobiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, 510632, Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 830011, Urumqi, China.

PMID: 34801544
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112401

Abstract

Oases environments in oases to be sensitive to anthropogenic activity because of ecological fragility. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution resulting from anthropogenic activity leads to ecological degradation in oases. To examine the impact of anthropogenic activity on the oasis ecological environment, the present study focused on the spatial distribution and source apportionment of soil PAHs and bacterial community responses in typical oases in Xinjiang, China. The results showed that the soil PAH level were higher in the city centres of Urumqi (9-6340 μg kg^-1), Aksu (8-957 μg kg^-1) and Korla (8-1103 μg kg^-1) and lower in the centres of Hotan city (11-268 μg kg^-1) and Qira county (7-163 μg kg^-1). Source apportionment suggested that gasoline emissions, diesel emissions, vehicle emissions, coal combustion, coke processing and biomass burning were the sources of soil PAHs. The integrated lifetime cancer risks of soil PAH exceeding the guideline safety values (10^-6) recommended by United States Environmental Protection Agency. The ingestion and dermal exposure pathways caused the greatest health risk (contribution ≤82%). Additionally, in the soil with low PAH concentrations, the richness and evenness of the soil bacterial community were great, and the molecular ecological network (MEN) structure was complex. Among populations, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria (relative abundance ≥17%) are the main dominant species in the bacterial communities and the keystone species in the MEN.

Keywords: Bacterial community; Oasis; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Sources apportionment; Spatial distribution.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

China
Coal / analysis
Environmental Monitoring / methods
Humans
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / toxicity
Risk Assessment
Soil / chemistry
Soil Pollutants* / analysis
Soil Pollutants* / toxicity

Substances

Coal
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Soil
Soil Pollutants