Department of Ecological Sciences, VU University, de Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Jan 3;46(1):60-8. doi: 10.1021/es2013598. Epub 2011 Sep 16.
Copper has long been applied for agricultural practises. Like other metals, copper is highly persistent in the environment and biologically active long after its use has ceased. Here we present a unique study on the long-term effects (27 years) of copper and pH on soil microbial communities and on the springtail Folsomia candida an important representative of the soil macrofauna, in an experiment with a full factorial, random block design. Bacterial communities were mostly affected by pH. These effects were prominent in Acidobacteria, while Actinobacteria and Gammaroteobacteria communities were affected by original and bioavailable copper. Reproduction and survival of the collembolan F. candida was not affected by the studied copper concentrations. However, the transcriptomic responses to copper reflected a mechanism of copper transport and detoxification, while pH exerted effects on nucleotide and protein metabolism and (acute) inflammatory response. We conclude that microbial community structure reflected the history of copper contamination, while gene expression analysis of F. candida is associated with the current level of bioavailable copper. The study is a first step in the development of a molecular strategy aiming at a more comprehensive assessment of various aspects of soil quality and ecotoxicology.
铜在农业实践中一直被应用。与其他金属一样，铜在环境中具有高度的持久性，并且在其使用停止后很长时间内仍具有生物活性。在这里，我们进行了一项独特的研究，研究了铜和 pH 值对土壤微生物群落和跳虫（土壤大型动物的重要代表）长达 27 年的长期影响，该研究采用完全因子随机区组设计。细菌群落主要受 pH 值影响。这些影响在酸杆菌中尤为明显，而放线菌和 gammaroteobacteria 群落则受原始和生物可利用铜的影响。研究铜浓度对弹尾目动物 Folsomia candida 的繁殖和生存没有影响。然而，对铜的转录组反应反映了铜运输和解毒的机制，而 pH 值则对核苷酸和蛋白质代谢以及（急性）炎症反应产生影响。我们得出结论，微生物群落结构反映了铜污染的历史，而 Folsomia candida 的基因表达分析则与当前生物可利用铜的水平有关。该研究是开发旨在更全面评估土壤质量和生态毒理学各个方面的分子策略的第一步。
