Restoration of Vegetation in Relation to Soil Properties of Spoil Heap Heavily Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Abstract

The main objectives of our study were to evaluate soil contamination on a zinc-lead spoil heap in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region in southern Poland using pollution indices, and to investigate the relation between soil properties and the natural succession of vegetation. Organic carbon and nitrogen, pH, soil texture, base cations, and heavy metal content were analyzed in soil samples at depths of 0–15 cm below the organic horizon over a regular grid of 14 sampling plots. The contents of Zn, Pb, and Cd exceeded by several times the acceptable thresholds. Measurements of soil enzyme activity were used to evaluate the progress of vegetation development in relation to soil chemical properties. The results indicate that heavy metals had a significant impact on soil enzyme activity and the development of vegetation cover. High contents of Pb and Cd reduced enzyme activity, while this activity increased with increasing amounts of soil organic matter. Further, the accumulative capacities of heavy metals in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and aboveground biomass of bladder campion (Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke) were examined. A high accumulation of Zn, Pb, and Cd in the aboveground tissues of S. vulgaris indicated an unusual tolerance of this species to heavy metals and the possibility of using this species in phytoremediation of post-industrial sites.

The contents of the potentially harmful elements in the arable soils of southern Poland, with the assessment of ecological and health risks: a case study

“…64,Cd 0.39,Co 4.92,Cr 18.8,Cu 26.5,Hg 0.05,Ni 11.5,Pb 63.8, Sb 1.23, Tl 0.10, Zn 283, and Se below the limit of quantification. The results obtained in the current confirmed the findings of other researchers on the PHE contents in the arable soils of southern Poland (Loska et al 2003(Loska et al , 2004Baran and Wieczorek 2015;Mazurek et al 2017;Labaz et al 2019;Baran et al 2018;Gałuszka et al 2018;Pająk et al 2018;Piekut et al 2018;Wieczorek et al 2018;Mazurek et al 2019;Waroszewski et al 2019). Nevertheless, the direct comparison of data between different studies should be made with caution due to time and methods differences.…”

Geochemical Fractions of the Agricultural Soils of Southern Poland and the Assessment of the Potentially Harmful Element Mobility

“…As described previously [17] in southern Poland, where investigations were conducted, soils are generally classified as cambisols, podzols, and luvisols according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (IUSS Working Group 2015). The measured pH values classified the investigated agricultural soil samples as neutral in the Opolskie (pH H2O range: 6.8-7.2, mean: 7.0) andŚląskie (pH H2O range: 6.8-8.3, mean: 7.0) and slightly acidic in the Małopolskie (pH H2O range: 4.8-7.9, mean: 6.50),Świętokrzyskie (pH H2O range: 5.4-7.2, mean: 6.4), and Podkarpackie (pH Our tests of the pseudototal PHE contents in agricultural soil samples confirmed the results of the research conducted previously in the Regions of SE Poland: inŚląskie [28,[50][51][52][53], of S Poland: in Małopolskie [33,[54][55][56][57][58], and of SE Poland: in Podkarpackie [59] and inŚwiętokrzyskie [60]. Our results were also comparable to those obtained within the frame of the National Environmental…”

The influence of Technosol characteristics on the lady’s-slipper orchid population (<i>Cypripedium calceolus</i> L.) in a forest area – the case study

“…) (Polish Soil Classification, 2019). In forest areas, the occurrence of Technosols is mainly limited to post-industrial areas that have been reclaimed in the forest direction or covered with vegetation as a result of natural succession (Pająk et al, 2018). Technosols in forests may also be associated with the occurrence of old buildings (fortified settlements, settlements, etc.…”

“…Where the development of vegetation occurs spontaneously as a result of natural succession, the species composition of the resulting communities will depend on the properties of the substrate from which they are formed. Important factors determining the development of vegetation are microbiological processes, water availability and microclimatic conditions (Woch et al, 2017;Pająk et al, 2018). In the species composition of vegetation entering the Technosols surface, pioneer species with a wide amplitude of ecological requirements play a major role.…”