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Impact of pasture contamination by copper, chromium, and arsenic timber preservative on soil microbial properties and nematodes

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Abstract

Microbial properties and nematode abundance were measured along a gradient of increasing Cu, Cr, and As concentrations (50–1300 mg Cr kg-1) in the top 5 cm of a pasture soil contaminated by runoff of preserving liquor from an adjacent timber-treatment plant. Microbial biomass C and N were significantly (P<0.05) lower in contaminated than uncontaminated soils. The amount of microbial biomass C as a percentage of total organic C declined significantly (r 2 value with Cr 0.726*) with increasing contamination, and the ratio of respired C to biomass C was significantly (P<0.05) higher with contamination. Substrate-induced respiration, microbial biomass P, and denitrification declined (r2 value with Cr 0.601, 0.833*, and 0.709*, respectively) with increasing contamination. Increasing contamination had no effect on prokaryote substrate-induced respiration but eukaryote: eukaryote substrate-induced respiration declined significantly (r 2 value with Cr 0.722*). Accordingly, the ratio of prokaryote substrate-induced respiration increased significantly (r 2 value with Cr 0.799*) with contamination. There was a significant (r 2 value with Cr 0.872*) hyperbolic relationship between sulphatase activity and contamination, with activity declining by approximately 80% at >1000 mg Cr kg-1. Increasing contamination had no effect on basal respiration, dimethyl sulphoxide reduction, and phosphatase, urease, and invertase activities. Numbers of plant-associated nematodes declined significantly (r 2 value with Cr 0.780*) with contamination. On a percentage basis, plant-feeding nematodes predominated in less contaminated soils, whereas bacterial-feeding and predatory nematodes predominated in heavily contaminated soils. The use of the fumigation—incubation procedure for measurement of microbial biomass C in heavy-metal contaminated soils is discussed.

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  1. T. W. Speir

    Present address: Institute of Environmental Health and Forensic Sciences, P.O. Box 30-547, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, Plas Gogerddan, SY23 3EB, Aberystwyth, Dyfed, UK

    R. D. Bardgett

  2. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd, Private Bag 31902, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

    T. W. Speir, D. J. Ross, G. W. Yeates & H. A. Kettles

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  1. R. D. Bardgett
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  2. T. W. Speir
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  3. D. J. Ross
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  4. G. W. Yeates
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  5. H. A. Kettles
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Bardgett, R.D., Speir, T.W., Ross, D.J. et al. Impact of pasture contamination by copper, chromium, and arsenic timber preservative on soil microbial properties and nematodes. Biol Fertil Soils 18, 71–79 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336448

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336448

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