Effect of long-term zinc pollution on soil microbial community resistance to repeated contamination

Abstract

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of stress (contamination trials) on the microorganisms in zinc-polluted soil (5,018 mg Zn kg-1 soil dry weight) and unpolluted soil (141 mg Zn kg-1 soil dw), measured as soil respiration rate. In the laboratory, soils were subjected to copper contamination (0, 500, 1,500 and 4,500 mg kg-1 soil dw), and then a bactericide (oxytetracycline) combined with a fungicide (captan) along with glucose (10 mg g-1 soil dw each) were added. There was a highly significant effect of soil type, copper treatment and oxytetracycline/ captan treatment. The initial respiration rate of chronically zinc-polluted soil was higher than that of unpolluted soil, but in the copper treatment it showed a greater decline. Microorganisms in copper-treated soil were more susceptible to oxytetracycline/captan contamination. After the successive soil contamination trials the decline of soil respiration was greater in zinc-polluted soil than in unpolluted soil. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.