Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387, Kraków, Poland.
Department of Zoology and Animal Welfare, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 21, 31-120, Kraków, Poland.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Feb;29(7):10848-10857. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-16384-y. Epub 2021 Sep 16.
Interactions between soil fauna and soil microorganisms are not fully recognized, especially in extreme environments, such as long-term metal-polluted soils. The purpose of the study was to assess how the presence of Lasius niger ants affected soil microbial characteristics in a long-term metal-polluted area (Upper Silesia in Poland). Paired soil samples were taken from bulk soil and from ant nests and analysed for a range of soil physicochemical properties, including metal content (zinc, cadmium, and lead). Microbial analysis included soil microbial activity (soil respiration rate), microbial biomass (substrate-induced respiration rate), and bacteria catabolic properties (Biolog ECO plates). Soil collected from ant nests was drier and was characterized by a lower content of organic matter, carbon and nitrogen contents, and also lower metal content than bulk soil. Soil microbial respiration rate was positively related to soil pH (p = 0.01) and negatively to water-soluble metal content, integrated into TI index (p = 0.01). Soil microbial biomass was negatively related to TI index (p = 0.04). Neither soil microbial activity and biomass nor bacteria catabolic activity and diversity indices differed between bulk soil and ant nests. Taken together, ant activity reduced soil contamination by metals in a microscale which support microbial community activity and biomass but did not affect Biolog® culturable bacteria.
土壤动物和土壤微生物之间的相互作用尚未得到充分认识，特别是在极端环境中，如长期受金属污染的土壤。本研究的目的是评估黑褐林蚁（Lasius niger）的存在如何影响波兰上西里西亚（Upper Silesia）长期受金属污染地区的土壤微生物特性。从原状土和蚁巢中采集配对的土壤样本，并分析一系列土壤理化性质，包括金属含量（锌、镉和铅）。微生物分析包括土壤微生物活性（土壤呼吸速率）、微生物生物量（底物诱导呼吸速率）和细菌代谢特性（Biolog ECO 平板）。与原状土相比，蚁巢中的土壤更干燥，其有机质、碳和氮含量较低，金属含量也较低。土壤微生物呼吸速率与土壤 pH 值呈正相关（p = 0.01），与可溶性金属含量呈负相关，整合到 TI 指数中（p = 0.01）。土壤微生物生物量与 TI 指数呈负相关（p = 0.04）。原状土和蚁巢之间的土壤微生物活性和生物量以及细菌代谢活性和多样性指数均无差异。总之，蚂蚁活动在微观尺度上减少了土壤中金属的污染，支持了微生物群落的活性和生物量，但并未影响 Biolog®可培养细菌。
