In this work, we investigated the effects of petroleum products contamination, caused by petrol stations rejects, on the vegetation and soil invertebrate animal communities. Three sites near two petrol stations were chosen, and the vegetation was inventoried during each season of the year. The invertebrates were sampled in the third site using Pitfall traps. Results indicated an influence of the petrol stations rejects on soil properties (TPH, N, C, pH and moisture). It was the same for plant species and invertebrate communities that were influenced through the abundance, species richness, biological diversity (H’) and species evenness (J), especially in the most contaminated zones. Some weed plant species showed a tolerance to the contamination, as Xanthium strumarium, Avena fatua, Conium maculatum and Oxalis pes-caprae, and their establishment may have been facilitated by the disturbances created by the petrol stations rejects. Also, some invertebrate orders, as Isopoda and Panpulmonata were mainly present in the contaminated zones. High levels of petroleum products contamination and the changes they can induce in soil properties, can affect the vegetation and soil invertebrates, by influencing the abundance and species richness and by facilitating the establishment of some species, like weed species in the vegetation case.
Phytosanitary treatments with pesticides are widely used to control pests and diseases in vineyards. An important part of the dispersed pesticide reaches the soil, affecting the fauna, producing quantitative and qualitative changes in the edaphic population’s structure and physiological activities. This study aims to evaluate the temporal dynamics of the soil macro and mesofauna through different pesticide treatment periods, where fungicides are the dominant pest control agent. A field experiment was carried out in Boumerdes, a specific viticultural region in Algeria. Soil samples were taken during three periods, before, during, and after treatment with pesticides, using the quadrat method at three soil depths. During these three periods, the soil macro and mesofauna were observed and compared. The results showed significant differences in the composition of invertebrate communities that tended to disappear during pesticide application. The structure and diversity of 11 invertebrate classes, including Collembola, changed along the treatment gradient. The effects of sampling periods on occurrence, abundance, and taxon richness were consistently negative. These indices were significantly lower after pesticide application. Therefore, we can suppose that climatic factors and pesticide treatements are the main factors affecting the activity and density of all classes of invertebrates, but these effects vary between the functional groups of soil biota.
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