Behavior of heavy metals in forest microcosms:II. Effects on nutrient cycling processes

✍ Scribed by Danny R. Jackson; William J. Selvidge; Beverly S. Ausmus

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 321 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0049-6979
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00161991

✦ Synopsis

Effects of heavy metals on forest nutrient cycling processes were investigated using intact forest microcosms. Baghouse dust from a primary Pb smelter in southeastern Missouri Was applied on the microcosms to approximate one annual deposition of metals at 0.4 km from the smelter. Contaminated litter from a forest adjacent to the smelter was also placed on the microcosms. Total dosage of Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cu was 11.0, 0.128, 0.748, and 0.161 mg cm -2, respectively.

Sustained increases in leaching rates of Ca mad NO3-N were found in microcosms amended with heavy metals. After 20 too, extractable Ca, NH3-N, NO3-N, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were significantly lower in treated soil to a depth of 5 cm. In addition, extractable NH3-N, NO3-N, and DOC were significantly lowered to a depth of 10 cm. Results from this experiment indicate that forest microcosms can be used for determining the effect of heavy metals on forest ecosystems.