Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of combined pollution of antimony and arsenic on culturable soil microbial populations and enzyme activities

  • Published:
Ecotoxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The effects of both combined and single pollution of antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) in different concentrations on culturable soil microbial populations and enzyme activities were studied under laboratory conditions. Joint effects of both Sb and As were different from that of Sb or As alone. The inhibition rate of culturable soil microbial populations under Sb and As pollution followed the order: bacterial > fungi > actinomycetes. There existed antagonistic inhibiting effect on urease and acid phophatase and synergistic inhibiting effect on protease under the combined pollution of Sb (III) and As (III). Only urease appeared to be the most sensitive indicator under Sb (V) and As (V) pollution, and there existed antagonistic inhibiting effect on acid phophatase and synergistic inhibiting effect on urease and protease under Sb (V) and As (V) combined pollution at most time. In this study, we also confirmed that the trivalent states of Sb and As were more toxic to all the microbes tested and more inhibitory on microbial enzyme activities then their pentavalent counterparts. The results also suggest that not only the application rate of the two metalloids but also the chemical form of metalloids should be considered while assessing the effect of metalloid on culturable microbial populations and enzyme activities. Urease and acid phosphatase can be used as potential biomarkers to evaluate the intensity of Sb (III) and As (III) stress.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adília O, Maria EP (2006) Effects of long-term heavy contamination on soil microbial characteristics. J Biosci Bioeng 102:157–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • An YJ, Kim M (2009) Effect of antimony on the microbial growth and the activities of soil enzymes. Chemosphere 74:654–659

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharyya P, Tripathy S, Kim K, Kim SH (2008) Arsenic fractions and enzyme activities in arsenic-contaminated soils by groundwater irrigation in West Bengal. Ecotox Environ Safe 71:149–156

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce AC (2005) Enzyme activities as a component of soil biodiversity: a review. Pedobiologia 49:637–644

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruins MR, Kapil S, Oehme FW (2000) Microbial resistance to metals in the environment. Ecotox Environ Safe 45:198–207

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chuan MC, Shu GY, Liu JC (1996) Solubility of heavy metals in a contaminated soil: effects of redox potential and pH. Water Air Soil Poll 90:543–556

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz-Raviña M, Bååth E (1996) Development of metal tolerance in soil bacterial communities exposed to experimentally increased metal levels. Appl Environ Microb 62:2970–2977

    Google Scholar 

  • Dick RP (1994) Soil enzyme activities as indicators of soil quality. In: Doran JW (ed) Defining soil quality for a sustainable environment. Soil Sci Soc Am J, Madison, pp 107–124

  • Dick RP (1997) Soil enzyme activities as integrative indicators of soil health. In: Pankhurst CE (ed) Health biological indicators of soil. CAB International, New York, pp 121–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Dick RP, Breakwill DP, Turco RF (1996) Soil enzyme activities and biodiversity measurements and integrating microbial indicators. In: Doran JW (Ed) Handbook of methods for assessment of soil quality. Soil Sci Soc Am J, Madison, pp 247–272

  • Doelman P (1986) Resistance of soil microbial communities to heavy metals. In: Jensen V (ed) Microbial communities in soil. Elsevier, London, New York, pp 415–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Duxbury T (1985) Ecological aspects of heavy metal responses in microorganisms. In: Marshall KC (ed) Advances in microbial ecology. Plenum, New York, pp 185–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson M, Ka JO, Mohn WW (2001) Effects of low temperature and freeze-thaw cycles on hydrocarbon biodegradation in Antartictundra soil. Appl Environ Microb 67:5107–5112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ettler V, Mihaljevič M, Šebek O, Nechutný Z (2007) Antimony availability in highly polluted soils and sediments—a comparison of single extractions. Chemosphere 68:455–463

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Filella M, Belzile N, Chen Y (2002) Antimony in the environment: a review focused on natural waters II. Relevant solution chemistry. Earth-Sci Rev 59:265–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Flynn HC, Meharg AA, Bowyer PK, Paton GI (2003) Antimony bioavailability in mine soils. Environ Pollut 124:93–100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gadd GM, Griffiths AJ (1977) Microorganisms and heavy metal toxicity. Microb Ecol 4:303–317

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gebel T (1997) Arsenic and antimony: comparative approach on mechanistic toxicology. Chem-Biol Interact 107:131–144

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh AK, Bhattacharyya P, Pal R (2004) Effect of arsenic contamination on microbial biomass and its activities in arsenic contaminated soils of Gangetic West Bengal, India. Environ Int 30:491–499

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Giller KE, Witter E, McGrath SP (1998) Toxicity of heavy metals to micro-organisms and microbial processes in agricultural soils: a review. Soil Biol Biochem 30:1389–1414

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hammel W, Debus R, Steubing L (2000) Mobility of antimony in soil and its availability to plants. Chemosphere 41:1791–1798

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He MC (2007) Distribution and phytoavailability of antimony at an antimony mining and smelting area, Hunan, China. Environ Geochem Health 29:209–219

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiroki M (1992) Effects of heavy metal contamination on soil microbial population. Soil Sci Plant Nutr 38:141–147

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes MN, Poole RK (1989) Metals and micro-organism. Chapman and Hall, London, pp 280–285

  • Insam H, Hutchinson TC, Reber HH (1996) Effects of heavy metal stress on the metabolic quotient of the soil microflora. Soil Biol Biochem 28:691–694

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph GJ, Jacangelo VPO, Kazuyoshi K (1987) Thiosulfate-dechlorination interference with the folin-ciocalteu reagent method for protein determination. Water Res 21:1143–1144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandeler E, Gerber H (1988) Short-term assay of soil urease activity using colorimetric determination of ammonium. Biol Fert Soils 6:68–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karadzic I, Masui A, Fujiwara N (2004) Purification and characterization of a protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown in cutting oil. J Biosci Bioeng 98:145–152

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly JJ, Häggblom MM, Tate RL (2003) Effects of heavy metal contamination and remediation on soil microbial communities in the vicinity of a zinc smelter as indicated by analysis of microbial community fatty acid profiles. Biol Fert Soils 38:65–71

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy AC, Smith KL (1995) Soil microbial diversity and the sustainability of agricultural soils. Plant Soil 170:75–86

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kimura M, Shibagaki T, Nakajima Y (2002) Community structure of the microbiota in the floodwater of a Japanese paddy field estimated by restriction fragment length polymorphism and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis pattern analyses. Biol Fert Soils 36:306–312

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krachler M, Shotyk W, Emons H (2001) Digestion procedures for the determination of antimony and arsenic in small amounts of peat samples by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry. Anal Chim Acta 432:307–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lintschinger J, Michalke B, Schulte-Hostede S, Schramel P (1998) Studies on speciation of antimony in soil contaminated by industrial activity. Int J Environ An Ch 72:11–25

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Megharaj M, Isabel M, Matthias K, Morris MH, Frank B, Kenneth NT, Andreas H (1998) Genetic requirements for the expression of benzylamine dehydrogenase activity in Pseudomonas putida. FEMS Microbiol Lett 166:109–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muyzer G, Waal ECD, Uitterlinden AG (1993) Profiling of complex microbial populations by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified genes coding for 16S rDNA. Appl Environ Microb 59:695–700

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamaru Y, Tagami K, Uchida S (2006) Antimony mobility in Japanese agricultural soils and the factors affecting antimony sorption behavior. Environ Pollut 141:321–326

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nicola L, Therese H, Tanja K, Arata K, Tsuyoshi Y, Petra M, Ellen K (2006) Response of microbial activity and microbial community composition in soils to long-term arsenic and cadmium exposure. Soil Biol Biochem 38:1430–1437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nies DH, Silver S (1995) Ion efflux systems involved in bacterial metal resistances. J Ind Microbiol Biot 14:186–199

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (1982) Methods of soil analysis, Part 2, 2nd ed. Soil Sci Soc Am J. Madison, WI, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Pant HK, Warman PR (2000) Enzymatic hydrolysis of soil organic phosphorus by immobilized phosphatases. Biol Fert Soils 30:306–311

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poorna V, Kulkarni PR (1995) Full factorial design to study fermentative production of inulinase using inulin from kuth (Saussurea lappa) root power by Aspergillus niger van Teighem UV11 mutant. Bioresour Technol 54:117–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandaa RA, Torsvik V, Enger Ø, Daae FL, Castberg T, Hahn D (1999) Analysis of bacterial communities in heavy metal-contaminated soils at different levels of resolution. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 30:237–251

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauvé S, McBride MB, Hendershot WH (1997) Speciation of lead in contaminated soils. Environ Pollut 98:149–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smedley PL, Kinniburgh DG (2002) A review of the source, behaviour and distribution of arsenic in natural waters. Appl Geochem 17:517–568

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Speir TW, Kettles HA, Parshotam A, Searle PL, Vlaar LNC (1999) Simple kinetic approach to determine the toxicity of As(V) to soil biological properties. Soil Biol Biochem 31:705–713

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Susan CW, Peter VL, Paul MA, Matthew T (2010) The chemistry and behaviour of antimony in the soil environment with comparisons to arsenic: a critical review. Environ Pollut 158:1169–1181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YP, Shi YJ, Wang H, Lin Q, Chen XC, Chen YX (2007) The influence of soil heavy metals pollution on soil microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and community composition near a copper smelter. Ecotox Environ Safe 67:75–81

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang F, Yao J, Si Y, Chen HL, Russel M, Chen K, Qian YG, Zaray G, Bramanti E (2010a) Short-time effect of heavy metals upon microbial community activity. J Hazard Mater 173:510–516

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang XQ, He MC, Xie J, Xi JH, Lu XF (2010b) Heavy metal pollution of the world largest antimony mine-affected agricultural soils in Hunan province (China). J Soil Sediment 10:827–837

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu XL (1991) Effects of As (III) and As (V) on enzymes from activated sluge. Acta Sci Circumst 11:445–450 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto H, Tatsuyama K, Uchiwa T (1985) Fungal flora of soil polluted with copper. Soil Biol Biochem 17:785–790

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yao H, He Z, Wilson MJ, Campbell CD (2000) Microbial biomass and community structure in a sequence of soils with increasing fertility and changing land use. Microb Ecol 40:223–237

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhong WH, Cai ZC (2004) Methods for studying soil microbial diversity. Chinese J Appl Ecol 15:899–904 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No. 20777009, 40873077), the Nonprofit Environment Protection Specific Project (201009037-06) and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (No. IRT0809).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, China

    Qiongshan Wang, Mengchang He & Ying Wang

Authors
  1. Qiongshan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mengchang He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ying Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mengchang He.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, Q., He, M. & Wang, Y. Influence of combined pollution of antimony and arsenic on culturable soil microbial populations and enzyme activities. Ecotoxicology 20, 9–19 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0551-7

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-010-0551-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation