title: Metal contamination status of the soil-plant system and effects on the soil microbial community near a rare metal recycling smelter.
abstract: Four heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn), two metalloids (As and Sb) and two rare metals (In and Tl) were selected as target elements to ascertain their concentrations and accumulation in the soil-plant system and their effects on the structure of the soil microbial community in a typical area of rare metal smelting in south China. Twenty-seven soil samples 100, 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000 m from the smelter and 42 vegetable samples were collected to determine the concentrations of the target elements. Changes in soil micro-organisms were investigated using the Biolog test and 454 pyrosequencing. The concentrations of the eight target elements (especially As and Cd) were especially high in the topsoil 100 m from the smelter and decreased markedly with increasing distance from the smelter and with increasing soil depth. Cadmium bio-concentration factors in the vegetables were the highest followed by Tl, Cu, Zn, In, Sb, Pb, and then As. The concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in vegetables were 86.7, 100 and 80.0 %, respectively, over the permissible limits and possible contamination by Tl may also be of concern. Changes in soil microbial counts and average well colour development were also significantly different at different sampling distances from the smelter. The degree of tolerance to heavy metals appears to be fungi > bacteria > actinomycetes. The 454 pyrosequencing indicates that long-term metal contamination from the smelting activities has resulted in shifts in the composition of the soil bacterial community.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hanjiang, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, 441053, China.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Jinyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Qingling
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China. lhwu@issas.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Longhua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christie
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.|Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, 264003, China.
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria; D002681:China; D005658:Fungi; D058955:Metalloids / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth / Q000032:analysis*; D059027:Recycling; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D058955:Metalloids; D019216:Metals, Heavy; D008674:Metals, Rare Earth; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: BCF; Bacterial community; Rare metals; Soil contamination; South China