Evaluation of the content of Zn, Cu, Ni and Pb as well as the enzymatic activity of forest soils exposed to the effect of road traffic pollution.
The paper evaluates the contents of total forms of selected heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni and Pb) as well as the activity of catalase (CAT), dehydrogenases (DEH), alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and acid phosphatase (AcP) in mineral surface horizons of forest soils exposed to the effect of road traffic pollutions. The sampling locations (n = 24) were determined in the area covered by the Szubin Forest along the exit road from Bydgoszcz to Poznań (provincial road no. 223). Soil was sampled 25 m away from the traffic lane, from two depths, 5-20 cm (humus horizons) and 20-50 cm (eluvial horizons). The contents of the heavy metals analysed were in the order of Pb > Zn > Cu > Ni. Despite intensive road traffic, with the Integrated Pollution Index (IPI) calculated, there was found a low pollution with nickel, average with zinc and copper and high with lead only. However, under the Regulation of the Minister of Environment, heavy metal values recorded allow for classifying the soils analysed as soils unpolluted with those metals. In the soil samples analysed, there were found significant positive dependencies between the content of clay fraction and zinc (r = 0.455; P < 0.05) and copper (r = 0.430; P < 0.05). With the enzyme activity results, values of the soil resistance index (RS) were calculated. The enzymes analysed were classified in the following decreasing order in terms of their resistance to traffic pollution: catalase > acid phosphatase > alkaline phosphatase > dehydrogenases (humus horizons) and catalase > dehydrogenases > alkaline phosphatase > acid phosphatase (eluvial horizons). Organic carbon showed a significant positive correlation with the activities of alkaline (r = 0.668; P < 0.05) and acid phosphatase (r = 0.668; P < 0.05) however not with catalase and dehydrogenases.
['Bartkowiak|Agata|A|http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2535-0085', 'Lemanowicz|Joanna|J|', 'Breza-Boruta|Barbara|B|']
D003300:Copper D004784:Environmental Monitoring D004787:Environmental Pollution D065928:Forests D007854:Lead D019216:Metals, Heavy D009532:Nickel D012987:Soil D012989:Soil Pollutants D015032:Zinc
Soil Road traffic pollution Heavy metals Catalase Dehydrogenases Alkaline and acid phosphatise