Ecological features of enzyme activity distribution in edaphotops of technogenic landscapes

Abstract

Specific features of distribution total, available phosphorus concentrations and levels of phosphatase enzymatic activity at the layers of artificial soil, sod-lithogenic soils onto gray-green and red-brown clays and on loess-like loams in the Nikopol manganese ore basin are established. It is presented general assessment of technosoil status by evaluation of phosphatase enzyme activity; this enzyme enriches the soil with mineral phosphorus and thereby improves its availability for living organisms. Among current bioindication methodology, soil enzymatic method is the most reliable and promising because enzymatic activity serves a stable indicator of soil biogenicity in comparison with other indicators. Soil enzymatic activity determines both intensity and targeting of biogeochemical processes. High correlation between concentrations of soluble phosphorus and phosphatase activity values by layers of artificial soil (r = 0.87), sod-lithogenic soils onto gray-green (r = 0.77), red-brown clays (r = 0.62) and onto loess-like loam (r = 0.95) was determined. Tendency of decreasing hydrolytic enzyme activity, phosphatase, with depth in all types of artificial soil studied was established. High efficiency of the enzymatic activity study in diagnostics of soil fertility dynamics under impact of various anthropogenic and natural ecosystems was determined. Advantages of using this method are capability to determine rapidly the changes occurring in ecosystems in the early stages of degradation processes and prediction of their targeting and, accordingly, their intensity. It has been found that levels of phosphatase activity and values of mobile phosphorus compounds in complex biogeocoenotic systems are sensitive quantitative indicators of changes in environmental conditions in man-made environment, and they generate good data about processes occurred within the soil column. The use of phosphatase activity level can be a reliable and promising method on biomonitoring of technogenic edaphotops.