The Investigation of Enzymatic Activity in the Soils under the Impact of Metallurgical Industrial Activity in Lori Marz, Armenia

Authors: T. H. Derdzyan, K. A. Ghazaryan, G. A. Gevorgyan

Abstract:

Beta-glucosidase, chitinase, leucine-aminopeptidase, acid phosphomonoesterase and acetate-esterase enzyme activities in the soils under the impact of metallurgical industrial activity in Lori marz (district) were investigated. The results of the study showed that the activities of the investigated enzymes in the soils decreased with increasing distance from the Shamlugh copper mine, the Chochkan tailings storage facility and the ore transportation road. Statistical analysis revealed that the activities of the enzymes were positively correlated (significant) to each other according to the observation sites which indicated that enzyme activities were affected by the same anthropogenic factor. The investigations showed that the soils were polluted with heavy metals (Cu, Pb, As, Co, Ni, Zn) due to copper mining activity in this territory. The results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between heavy metal pollution degree (Nemerow integrated pollution index) and soil enzyme activity. All of this indicated that copper mining activity in this territory causing the heavy metal pollution of the soils resulted in the inhabitation of the activities of the enzymes which are considered as biological catalysts to decompose organic materials and facilitate the cycling of nutrients.

Keywords: Armenia, metallurgical industrial activity, heavy metal pollutionl, soil enzyme activity.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1100388

References:

[1] S. Kumar, S. Chaudhuri, S. K. Maiti, “Soil dehydrogenase activity in natural and mine soil – A review,” Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 898–906, 2013.
[2] B. A. Caldwell, “Enzyme activities as a component of soil biodiversity: A review,” Pedobiologia, vol. 49, pp. 637 – 644, 2005.
[3] D. Effron, A. M. de la Horra, R. L. Defrieri, V. Fontanive, P. M. Palma, “Effect of cadmium, copper and lead on different anzyme activities in a native forest soil,” Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, vol. 35, no. 9-10, pp. 1309–1321, 2010.
[4] S. Khan, Q. Cao, A. E. L. Hesham, Y. Xia, J. He, “Soil enzymatic activities and microbial community structure with different application rates of Cd and Pb,” Journal of Environmental Science, vol. 19, no. 7, pp. 834–840, 2007.
[5] J. Koper, H. Dabkowska-Naskret, A. Piotrowska, “Influence of heavy metals on enzymatic activity in lessive soils of Kujawy and Pomoroze region (Poland),” Geophysical Research Abstracts, vol. 7, p. 10565, 2005.
[6] Y. Wang, Q. Li, J. Shi, Q. Lin, X. Chen, W. Wu, Y. Chen, “Assessment of microbial activity and bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere of a copper accumulator and a non-accumulator,” Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 1167–1177, 2008.
[7] K. Schutz, E. Kandeler, P. Nagel, S. Scheu, L. Ruess, “Functional microbial community response to nutrient pulses by artificial groundwater recharge practice in surface soils and subsoils,” FEMS Microbiology Ecology, vol. 72, pp. 445-455, 2010.
[8] K. Pritsch, M. S. Gunthardt-Goerg, J. Ch. Munch, M. Schloter, “Influence of heavy metals and acid rain on enzymatic activities in the mycorrhizosphere of model forest ecosystems,” Forest Snow and Landscape Research, vol. 80, no. 3, pp. 289-304, 2006.
[9] M. Vepsalainen, S. Kukkonen, M. Vestberg, H. Sirvio, R. M. Niemi, “Application of soil enzyme activity test kit in a field experiment,” Soil Biology and Biochemistry, vol. 33, pp. 1665-1672, 2001.
[10] M. Intawongse, J. R. Dean, “Uptake of heavy metals grown on contaminated soil and their bioavailability in the human gastrointestinal tract,” Food additives and contaminants, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 36-48, 2006.
[11] X. Jiang, W. X. Lu, H. Q. Zhao, Q. C. Yang, Z. P. Yang, “Potential ecological risk assessment and prediction of soil heavy-metal pollution around coal gangue dump,” Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, vol. 14, pp. 1599-1610, 2014.
[12] M. A. Nwachukwu, H. Feng, J. Alinnor, “Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soil and their implications within and around mechanic villages,” International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 347-358, 2010.
[13] A. Debnarova, D. H. Weissmannova, “Assessment of heavy metal pollution (Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg) in urban soils of roadside in Brno,” Trnasactions on Transport Sciences, vol. 3, pp. 147-156, 2010.
[14] T. D. Sarala, M. A. Sabitha, “Calculating integrated pollution indices for heavy metals in ecological geochemistry assessment near sugar mill,” Journal of Research in Biology, vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 489-498, 2012.