Impact of a WWTP effluent overland flow on the properties of a mediterranean riparian soil.

In this work we aim to assess the impact of a WWTP effluent overland flow on properties and nutrient concentrations of a riparian soil, in order to explore the potential of this practice as a nature-based treatment. We set two study zones of 150 m2 on the field, one control and one that received the WWTP effluent on its surface for one month. Samples were taken before and after the effluent overland flow system, to test the impact of the effluent on soil properties through a BACI design, and after 17 months, to evaluate the recovery of the soil. Two depths were studied: 0-5 cm and 5-20 cm. The effluent overland flow triggered an increase in exchangeable sodium percentage and a decrease in nitrate concentration in both depths, and an increase in ammonium concentration in 0-5 cm depth. After 17 months, there were not found relevant differences among zones. In conclusion, this practice could be used in the purpose to reduce the nutrient concentrations of WWTP effluents. This practice could be relevant for regions where WWTP effluents are discharged in low-flow or intermittent streams, such as semi-arid regions or the Mediterranean region.

Use of nutrient-enriched zeolite (NEZ) from urban wastewaters in amended soils: Evaluation of plant availability of mineral elements.

The usefulness of a nutrient-enriched zeolite (NEZ) obtained from simultaneous ammonium (NH4+) and phosphate (PO43-) recovery from urban wastewaters was evaluated as soil amendment through the early growth of sunflower (Helianthus annuus). The NEZ systems were applied to sandy (acid) and clayey (basic) soils from Mediterranean agricultural areas (Spain). Some plant growth indicators were measured: evapotranspiration, plant moisture content, plant biomass, root/shoot ratio, nitrogen and phosphorous uptake and the C/N ratio. The experimental data exhibited differences in the growth indicators for un-amended and amended soils. The addition of the NEZ system increase the plant water content of sunflowers grown on clay soils. The plant biomass of sunflower was improved by the incorporation of NEZ system in all treatments for the two soils studied. A reduction of the root/shoot ratio for the treatments of clay soil by application of NEZ systems were observed. The content of ammonium and phosphorous in tissues increased considerably with the addition of amendment material. Besides, the ammonium, nitrate and inorganic phosphorous in the post-test soils revealed that nutrients were still available for a second growth cycle. As demonstrated in previous work, the NEZ system releases nutrients continuously controlled by soil pH and mineral composition as well as the irrigation conditions provided. Therefore, this approach of amendment materials for soil seems to be a promising alternative for agricultural practice, where the dose selection must be balanced according to the plant's nutrient needs and soil properties by adjusting the growth conditions.

Is response to fire influenced by dietary specialization and mobility? A comparative study with multiple animal assemblages.

Fire is a major agent involved in landscape transformation and an indirect cause of changes in species composition. Responses to fire may vary greatly depending on life histories and functional traits of species. We have examined the taxonomic and functional responses to fire of eight taxonomic animal groups displaying a gradient of dietary and mobility patterns: Gastropoda, Heteroptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera, Araneae, Orthoptera, Reptilia and Aves. The fieldwork was conducted in a Mediterranean protected area on 3 sites (one unburnt and two burnt with different postfire management practices) with five replicates per site. We collected information from 4606 specimens from 274 animal species. Similarity in species composition and abundance between areas was measured by the Bray-Curtis index and ANOSIM, and comparisons between animal and plant responses by Mantel tests. We analyze whether groups with the highest percentage of omnivorous species, these species being more generalist in their dietary habits, show weak responses to fire (i.e. more similarity between burnt and unburnt areas), and independent responses to changes in vegetation. We also explore how mobility, i.e. dispersal ability, influences responses to fire. Our results demonstrate that differences in species composition and abundance between burnt and unburnt areas differed among groups. We found a tendency towards presenting lower differences between areas for groups with higher percentages of omnivorous species. Moreover, taxa with a higher percentage of omnivorous species had significantly more independent responses of changes in vegetation. High- (e.g. Aves) and low-mobility (e.g. Gastropoda) groups had the strongest responses to fire (higher R scores of the ANOSIM); however, we failed to find a significant general pattern with all the groups according to their mobility. Our results partially support the idea that functional traits underlie the response of organisms to environmental changes caused by fire.

Plant uptake of radiocaesium from artificially contaminated soil monoliths covering major European soil types.

Uptake of (137)Cs was measured in different agricultural plant species (beans, lettuce, barley and ryegrass) grown in 5 undisturbed soil monoliths covering major European soil types. The first cultivation was made three years after soil contamination and plants were grown during 3 successive years. The plant-soil (137)Cs transfer factors varied maximally 12-fold among soils and 35-fold among species when grown on the same soil. Single correlations between transfer factors and soil properties were found, but they varied widely with plant type and can hardly be used as a predictive tool because of the few soils used. The variation of (137)Cs concentrations in plants among soils was related to differences in soil solution (137)Cs and K concentrations, consistent with previous observations in hydroponics and pot trials. Absolute values of transfer factors could not be predicted based on a model validated for pot trials. The (137)Cs activity concentration in soil solution decreased significantly (11- to 250-fold) for most soils in the 1997-1999 period and is partly explained by decreasing K in soil solution. Transfer factors of lettuce showed both increasing and decreasing trends between 2 consecutive years depending on soil type. The trends could be explained by the variation in (137)Cs and K concentrations in soil solution. It is concluded that differences in (137)Cs transfer factors among soils and trends in transfer factors as a function of time can be explained from soil solution composition, as shown previously for pot trials, although absolute values of transfer factors could not be predicted.

Reduction of crop contamination by soil resuspension within the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

A field experiment was conducted within the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to analyze whether the application of mulching reduced resuspension of 137Cs contaminated soil in oat (Avena sativa) crops. In 1993, we applied a mulch treatment at a dose of 200 g m(-2), and soil resuspension was measured by estimating soil loadings onto plant surfaces from Ti concentrations in plants. In 1994, two mulch doses were applied, 200 and 50 g m(-2), and we estimated the contribution of soil resuspension by using artificial resuspension collection devices (ARC). In the 1993 experiment between 4.6 and 34.4% of the plant's total 137Cs contamination was attributed to external soil contamination. The mean amount of soil-derived 137Cs attached to vegetation was 124.7 Bq kg(-1)(plant) in control plots and 53.7 Bq kg(-1)(plant) in mulched plots. In the 1994 experiment, covering the soil with a mulch layer decreased the radiocesium content in ARC by about 70%. Results obtained in these experiments suggest that soil resuspension was a significant mechanism for plant contamination and that mulching was effective in reducing that contamination.