Anthropogenic modifications to water regimes are one of the main factors threatening the stability and existence of floodplain forests. This study presents an analysis of topsoil biogeochemistry within three floodplain forest stands with different levels of human alteration. Decreasing contents of soil organic carbon (OC) and microbial biomass were observed along the gradient from natural to plantation forest. High annual variations were observed in soil N contents and in microbial biomass, while comparable spatial variations were observed within the natural forest. High ground-water levels resulted in increased accumulation of available Na+ and SO42− in the natural forest soil, yet the concentrations of ions were at sub-saline levels. The increasing contents of available Mn, SO42− or Cl− had mostly positive effects on soil microbial activity across the sites, though the results indicate the existence of a certain ecological limit for soil microorganisms. Reintroduction of surface-water flooding should be considered in future forest and water management to promote the dilution of ions accumulated in soils and natural deposition of sediments rich in organic matter (OM) at the sites.
Abstract Atmospheric deposition-related potentially toxic elements (PTEs) can contaminate mountain forest ecosystems. The influence of tree species is being increasingly recognised as an important factor in the deposition loads in forest soils. However, relevant modelling studies about the forest pollution with PTEs, concerning the tree species composition, are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) on soil and mushroom pollution and the associated health risks to define their significance for pollution modelling. Therefore, topsoil samples and samples of eight edible mushroom species were taken from 51 mature beech- and spruce-dominated stands. The results showed that forest composition had an indirect influence on the PTEs contents in the topsoil; it significantly differentiated the relationship between PTEs and soil C as the beech stands showed significantly increasing PTEs content with increasing C content. Despite the absence of soil pollution, above-limit levels of Cd and Zn were found in mushrooms. The total content of PTEs in mushrooms posed a potential health risk to consumers in 82% of the samples. The most Cd-contaminated and potentially the riskiest species for consumption was Xerocomellus pruinatus (Fr. and Hök) Šutara. The results suggest that the source of PTEs for mushrooms is not only the soil but probably also the current wet deposition. The influence of the forest type on the accumulation of PTEs in mushrooms was confirmed mainly due to the strongly divergent behaviour of Zn in beech- vs. spruce-dominated stands. The results point to the need to evaluate mushroom contamination even in the contamination-unburdened forest areas. For future modelling of PTEs pollution in forests, it is necessary to differentiate the tree species composition.
Výzkum dizertacni prace se soustředil na schopnost lesa aktivovat a imobilizovat kovy v prostředi s jejich vysokými dotacemi z hlubinne těžby nerostných surovin. Výzkum byl situovan na lokalitě Rožna, s probihajici těžbou uranu, a lokalitě Olsi s ukoncenou těžbou uranu v Ceske republice. V průběhu let 2014 a 2015 bylo v zajmových aluviich toků Nedvědicka (Rožna) a Hadůvka (Olsi), recipientů znecistěni radionuklidy a kovy z těžby, odebrano v jarnim a podzimnim aspektu celkově 380 vzorků listů ze stromů, bylinneho patra a řicnich sedimentů. Vzorky byly analyzovany metodou XFR a ICP-OES. V organicke hmotě byly nalezeny prvky Al, Cl, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Rb, S, Sr, U, Zn a Zr, v mnoha připadech ve vysokých koncentracich odpovidajicich znecistěným lokalitam v těžebnich nebo průmyslových oblastech. Statisticky významný rozdil v koncentracich chemických prkvů ve fytomase i řicnim sedimentu mezi hornim, střednim a spodnim tokem zajmových oblasti nebyl nalezen. Na lokalitě Nedvědicka byly nalezeny vyssi koncentrace větsiho spektra kovů než na lokalitě Hadůvka. Na lokalitě Hadůvka byly metodou ICP-OES nalezeny výrazně vyssi hodnoty uranu
(1.56 mg.kg-1) v listech stormů než na lokalitě Nedvědicka, dosahujici až 4.5 mg.kg-1 ve vysusenem materialu. Sezonni dynamika obsahu chemických prvků byla ve fytomase potvrzena. Druhove složeni lesnich porostů zajmových lokalit s převahou Picea abies
a druh hospodařeni byl vyhodnocen jako nepřiznivý pro imobilizaci kovů v prostředi. Na lokalitě Nedvědicka byla navržena napravna opatřeni - výsadby porostů s převahou Fagus silvatica, ktera maji přiznivě působit na upravu pH půdy a vody vhodných charakterem opadu a přispět tak k inhibici siřeni kovů v prostředi. Na lokalitě Hadůvka jsou navrhovana opatřeni soustředěny na přestavbu stavajicich porostů s převahou Picea abies na porosty s převahou listnatých dřevin, zejmena Fagus silvatica, tak aby doslo postupně k upravě pH půdy, a tim sniženi mobility kovů v prostředi
Environmental contamination caused by uranium mining is becoming a worldwide issue due to its negative impact on the environment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the contamination levels of riparian forest stands and their interaction with pollutants on the example of two localities with long and short-term uranium mining closure. Notably high Cu content, which exceeded the lower range of the toxicity limit in 50–75% of the cases, was detected in the leaves. Increased U content also represents a potential risk. As both of the elements have a negative effect particularly on the root system, it can be assumed that the soil-stabilizing and water erosion-reducing functions of the stands may be reduced. Extremely high U content (51.8 mg/kg DA) in the leaves of Aesculus hippocastanum L. indicates its potential for phytoremediation. Significantly higher U content determined at the locality with the long-term closure of mining was probably caused by the instauration of the shallow hydrogeological circulation after mine inundation. Strong correlation between U and Pb suggests identical trend of their uptake and accumulation by plants. A significant dependence of the level of contamination on the distance from its source was not demonstrated. Therefore, the management of mining areas should focus on the protection of riparian forest, which can through its stabilizing and erosion-reducing functions and through suitable species composition effectively prevent spreading of contamination.
Abstract. Around half of the Earth's soil organic carbon (SOC) is presently stored in the Northern Hemisphere permafrost region. In polar permafrost regions, low temperatures particularly inhibit both the production and biodegradation of organic matter. Under such conditions, abiotic factors such as mesoclimate, pedogenic substrate or altitude are thought to be more important for soil development than biological factors. In Antarctica, biological factors are generally underestimated in soil development due to the rare occurrence of higher plants and the short time since deglaciation. In this study, we aim to assess the relationship between SOC and other soil properties related to the pedogenic factors or properties. Nine plots were investigated along the altitudinal gradient from 10 to 320 m in the deglaciated area of James Ross Island (Ulu Peninsula) using a parallel tea-bag decomposition experiment. SOC contents showed a positive correlation with the content of easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (EE-GRSP; Spearman r=0.733, P=0.031) and the soil buffering capacity (expressed as ΔpH; Spearman r=0.817, P=0.011). The soil-available P was negatively correlated with altitude (Spearman r=-0.711, P=0.032), and the exchangeable Mg was negatively correlated with the rock fragment content (Spearman r=-0.683, P=0.050). No correlation was found between the available mineral nutrients (P, K, Ca and Mg) and SOC or GRSP. This may be a consequence of the inhibition of biologically mediated nutrient cycling in the soil. Therefore, the main factor influencing nutrient availability in these soils does not seem to the biotic environment; rather, the main impact appears to stem from the abiotic environment influencing the mesoclimate (altitude) or the level of weathering (rock content). Incubation in tea bags for 45 d resulted in the consumption and translocation of more labile polyphenolic and water-extractable organic matter, along with changes in the C content (increase of up to +0.53 % or decrease of up to −1.31 % C) and a decrease in the C:N ratio (from 12.5 to 7.1–10.2), probably due to microbial respiration and an increase in the abundance of nitrogen-binding microorganisms. Our findings suggest that one of the main variables influencing the SOC/GRSP content is not the altitude or coarse-fraction content (for which a correlation with SOC/GRSP was not found); rather, we suspect effects from other factors that are difficult to quantify, such as the availability of liquid water.
Rudni pole Rožna je výrazně degradovano v souvislosti s těžbou.
Vsechny aspekty degradace se vztahuji k 60 let trvajici těžbě
uranu. Nove výsledky jsou důležitou soucasti předkladane
kapitoly.
