Soil enzymes activity in the rhizosphere of the dandelion as an indicator of the ecochemical condition of urban soils
2007
Bielinska, E. J.,Akademia Rolnicza, Lublin (Poland). Inst. Gleboznawstwa i Ksztaltowania Srodowiska
The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Web.) is rated among the most important herbs used to biomonitor the natural environment. The paper was aimed at determining the impact of the dandelion's rhizosphere on the heavy metal content and the enzymatic activity of soils in urban lands with different anthropopressure impacts. The research was carried out in the Upper Silesia region and in towns of eastern Poland. Samples of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils were collected in central sectors of the towns and in suburbia. The heavy metal content and the enzymatic activity showed a considerable differentiation in both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, however, they were distinctly related to the anthropogenic pressure intensity. The observed enzymatic activity stimulation of soil in the direct vicinity of the dandelion's roots indicates that the rhizosphere zone is a natural filter cleaning the soil environment from impurities infiltrating from urban areas. Changes in the soil enzyme activity in the dandelion's rhizosphere zone allow the assessment of the environmental hazards resulting from the presence of heavy metals in urban soils
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