Bioindication of air pollution effects near a copper smelter in Brazil using mango trees and soil microbiological properties.
Klumpp A., Hintemann T., Lima J. S., Kandeler E.
Author Affiliation: Institute for Landscape and Plant Ecology (320), University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany.
Environmental Pollution 126 : 313-321
Abstract : A field study near the copper smelter of a large industrial complex examined air pollution effects on vegetation and soil parameters in Camac?ari (northeast Brazil). Close to the smelter, soil pH-value was lower and total acidity as well as organic carbon contents were higher compared with a site far from the source and two reference sites. The acidification of top soil particularly and the drastically enhanced plant-available copper concentrations were caused by atmospheric deposition. High sulfur and copper deposition significantly reduced microbial biomass and altered functional diversity of soil microorganisms (arylsulphatase and xylanase). Large accumulations of sulfur, arsenic and copper were detected in mango leaves (Mangifera indica) growing downwind from the smelter suggesting potential food chain-mediated risk.