Effect of Lead Contamination on Soil Microbial Activity Measured by Microcalorimetry |
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| Authors: | Nan Gai Yongliang Yang Tao Li Jun Yao Fei Wang Huilun Chen |
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| Institution: | 1. National Research Center for Geoanalysis, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China;2. School of Environmental Studies & Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology of Chinese Ministry of Education & Sino‐Hungarian Joint Laboratory of Environmental Science and Health, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China;3. National Environment & Energy International Cooperation Base, and Civil & Environment Engineering School, University of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, China |
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| Abstract: | Microcalorimetry was used to investigate the microbial activity in three types of soil (orchard soil, crop soil, forest soil) in Wuhan, China, and to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of lead (Pb2+) on soil microbial activity. The experimental results revealed that due to different physical and chemical characteristics of the soils, soil microbial activity in three soil samples were in a descending sequence: orchards soil, crops soil, forest soil. Six levels of Pb viz. 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μg·g?1 were applied in these soils, and the results showed that an increase of the amount of Pb2+ is associated with a decrease in microbial activity in the soils due to the toxic effect of Pb2+. In order to gain further insight of the sequential change of microorganisms, determination of colony forming units (CFU) was performed to provide a negative linear correlation between the heat effect and the respective number of microorganisms in the system. |
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| Keywords: | soil microbial activity microcalorimetry lead contamination |
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