Lepp N W, Hartley J, Toti M, Dickinson N M
School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
Environ Pollut. 1997;95(3):363-9. doi: 10.1016/s0269-7491(96)00130-3.
Patterns of soil copper contamination have been examined in the vicinity of a copper rod rolling plant in Prescot, Merseyside, UK. The site, established in 1975, was found to possess clear patterns of soil copper contamination, with the highest levels of HNO3 and water-extractable fractions encountered in the factory grounds adjacent to the location of the furnace chimney. The majority of the copper had accumulated in the upper soil horizons. The site is surrounded by planted lawns, established at different times after the commissioning of the plant. The species composition of the extant grassland communities, found at sites with differing soil copper levels, was compared to the composition of the original seed mixtures sown at each of ten sites. These surveys clearly showed that different levels of soil copper contamination had produced significant changes in grassland composition with time. At the most polluted site, copper tolerant Agrostis capillaris clones were the main grasses present only two years after the area was sown with a four-species mixture of non-tolerant grass seed. Lolium perenne possessed extreme sensitivity to copper. A number of dicotyledonous species, normally considered sensitive to elevated copper levels, were found to be unaffected where such conditions had arisen after plants had established from seed.
英国默西塞德郡普雷斯科特的一家铜棒轧制厂附近的土壤铜污染模式已得到研究。该场地建于1975年，被发现存在明显的土壤铜污染模式，在靠近熔炉烟囱位置的工厂场地中，硝酸和水可提取部分的含量最高。大部分铜积累在上层土壤中。该场地周围是在工厂投产之后不同时间种植的草坪。将不同土壤铜含量地点现存草地群落的物种组成，与十个地点各自播种的原始种子混合物的组成进行了比较。这些调查清楚地表明，随着时间推移，不同程度的土壤铜污染已使草地组成发生了显著变化。在污染最严重的地点，播种了四种不耐铜草种混合物仅两年后，耐铜的细弱翦股颖克隆体就成了主要的草种。多年生黑麦草对铜极为敏感。人们发现，一些通常被认为对铜含量升高敏感的双子叶物种，在从种子长成植株后出现此类情况时并未受到影响。
