Soil pollution and its impact on soil life - Mar… · Mark Hodson, Soil pollution and its impact on soil life 34 Summary • Pollutants are generated by all sorts of human activities

Soil pollution and its impact on soil lifeMark Hodson

Mark Hodson, Soil pollution and its impact on soil life 2

Structure• Sources of soil pollution• How wide spread is the problem?• When is a pollutant a problem• Scale / level of impact• Effects• Quantifying effects• Opportunities• Challenges


Sources of pollution

Image from: http://www.michellehenry.fr/pollution.htm


How wide spread is the problem?



325 000 potentially contaminated sitesc. 300 000 hac. 2% of land area33 500 contaminated sites identified to date21 000 treatedEA 2009 figures



360 000 potentially contaminated sitesGerman Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety 2002 figures



40 000 potentially contaminated sitesDanish Ministry of the Environment 2009 figures



60 000 potentially contaminated sitesDutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (now part of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment) 2009 figuresCost estimated at 100 billion Dutch guilders in 1997 (c. 500 M € today)


When is a pollutant a problem?

Image from: Semple et al. (2004) Environ. Sci. Technol. 38 (12)

Mark Hodson, Soil pollution and its impact on soil life

When is a pollutant a problem

Cr(VI) vs Cr(III), Cr metal


Scale / level of impact• Molecules

MetallothioneinsImage from: Professor Frank Shaw, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee https://pantherfile.uwm.edu/cfsiii/www/


Scale / level of impact• Molecules

Heat shock proteinsImage from: http://www.usnon.com/expression-of-heat-shock-protein-70-in-human-skin-cells.htm


Scale / level of impact• Molecules• Cells

Image from: http://www.kathimitchell.com/cells.html



Image from: Hopkin (1989) Ecophysiology of metals in terrestrial invertebrates. Granule in hepatopancreas of a snail



Image from: Cotter-Howells et al (2005) Environ. Sci. Technol. 39 7731-7740


Scale / level of impact• Molecules• Cells• Organs

Image from: http://decenthospital.com/organs.html



Surface precipitatesImage: Sonja Selenska-Pobell/Mohamed Larbi Merroun); http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9821-bacteria-skin-helps-assemble-metal-nanoclusters.html



Hepatopancreas (liver + pancreas)Image: http://rioiriri.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/bio-geekery-giant-isopods.html



ChloragogImage: http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-67299/Earthworms-belong-to-a-group-of-worms-known-as-segmented



Midgut (Cd), Cuticle (Zn)Image: http://www.cgm-gardenlife.co.uk/pages/Centipedes-Milipedes-Earwigs-and-Woodlice.html



Midgut epitheliumImage: http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/sponsored_sites/biospeleology/photos.htm


Scale / level of impact• Molecules• Cells• Organs• Animals

Image from: Field studies councilhttp://www.field-studies-council.org/breathingplaces/minibeasts.htm


Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost

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Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost

vsx x


Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost• Survival


Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost• Survival• Evolution

Reference

Stream

Cottage Image: Jane Andre


Scale / level of impact• Molecules• Cells• Organs• Animals• Ecosystems

Image from: Portland State Universityhttp://ecoplexity.org/soil_model


Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost• Survival• Population structure


Effect on soil organisms• Metabolic cost• Survival• Population structure• Community / ecosystem


Quantifying the effects• Diversity indices

Simpson’s diversity index (0 = no diversity, 1 = infinite diversity)

n = number of a particular speciesN = total number

1 – (-----)∑ n (n – 1)

N (N – 1)


Quantifying the effects


The “omic” revolutions

Image from: http://www.chemeng.ucla.edu/research/research-areas/biomolecular-engineering-and-systems-biology


Mixtures

Image from: Jonker et al. (2004) Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 23 1529 - 1537


Summary• Pollutants are generated by all sorts of human

activities• Soil pollution is a wide spread problem• Pollutants have to be “bioavailable” to cause harm• Impacts occurs from the molecular to ecosystem

scale• Quantification is by controlled testing and

comparisons• “Omics” technologies are not yet mature• Mixtures are difficult

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Soil pollution and its impact on soil life - Mar… · Mark Hodson, Soil pollution and its impact on soil life 34 Summary • Pollutants are generated by all sorts of human activities