A set of toxic metals, i.e. As, Hg, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr, in urban and suburban SDSs were investigated comparatively in the biggest metropolitan area of China, Shanghai. Results showed that all of the metals except As were accumulated greatly, much higher than background values. Geo-accumulation index indicated that metal contamination in urban SDSs was generally heavier than that in suburban SDSs. Potential ecological risk index demonstrated that overall risks caused by metals were considerable. Cd contributed 52% to the overall risk. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that in urban SDSs, Zn, Ni, Cd, Pb, Cu and Cr were related to traffic and industry; coal combustion led to elevated levels of Hg; soil parent materials controlled As contents. In suburban SDSs, Pb, Cu, As and Cd largely originated from traffic pollution; Zn, Ni and Cr were associated with industrial contaminants; Hg was mainly from domestic solid waste. Sources and contamination characteristics of toxic metals in urban and suburban SDSs were different due to the varied levels of human activity intensity.

Anthropogenic trace element emissions have declined. However, top soils all over the world remain enriched in trace elements. We investigated Pb and Cd migration in forest soils of a remote monitoring site in the Austrian limestone Alps between 1992 and 2004. Large spatial variability masked temporal changes in the mineral soil of Lithic Leptosols (Skeltic), whereas a significant reduction of Pb concentrations in their forest floors occurred. Reductions of concentrations in the less heterogeneous Cambisols (Chromic) were significant. In contrast, virtually no migration of Pb and Cd were found in Stagnosols due to their impeded drainage. Very low element concentrations (<1 μg l−1) in field-collected soil solutions using tension lysimeters (0.2 μm nylon filters) imply that migration largely occurred by preferential flow as particulate-bound species during intensive rainfall events. Our results indicate that the extent of Pb and Cd migration in soils is largely influenced by soil type. Comparison between soil solid phase and soil solution concentrations imply that trace element migration largely occurred by preferential flow as particulate-bound species.

Increases in reactive nitrogen deposition are a growing concern in the U.S. Rocky Mountain west. The Rocky Mountain Airborne Nitrogen and Sulfur (RoMANS) study was designed to improve understanding of the species and pathways that contribute to nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). During two 5-week field campaigns in spring and summer of 2006, the largest contributor to reactive nitrogen deposition in RMNP was found to be wet deposition of ammonium (34% spring and summer), followed by wet deposition of nitrate (24% spring, 28% summer). The third and fourth most important reactive nitrogen deposition pathways were found to be wet deposition of organic nitrogen (17%, 12%) and dry deposition of ammonia (14%, 16%), neither of which is routinely measured by air quality/deposition networks operating in the region. Total reactive nitrogen deposition during the spring campaign was determined to be 0.45 kg ha−1 and more than doubled to 0.95 kg ha−1 during the summer campaign. The reactive nitrogen deposition budget for Rocky Mountain National Park.

To investigate the effects of ambient-level gas-phase peroxides concurrent with O3 on foliar injury, photosynthesis, and biomass in herbaceous plants, we exposed Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus) to clean air, 50 ppb O3, 100 ppb O3, and 2-3 ppb peroxides + 50 ppb O3 in outdoor chambers. Compared with exposure to 100 ppb O3, exposure to 2-3 ppb peroxides + 50 ppb O3 induced greater damage in foliar injury, net photosynthetic rates and biomass; the pattern of foliar injury and the cause of net photosynthetic rate reduction also differed from those occurring with O3 exposure alone. These results indicate for the first time that sub-ppb peroxides + 50 ppb O3 can cause more severe damage to plants than 100 ppb O3, and that not only O3, but also peroxides, could be contributing to the herbaceous plant damage and forest decline observed in Japan's air-polluted urban and remote mountains areas.

In the present work, the relationships between plant consortia, consisting of 1-4 metallicolous pseudometallophytes with different metal-tolerance strategies (Thlaspi caerulescens: hyperaccumulator; Jasione montana: accumulator; Rumex acetosa: indicator; Festuca rubra: excluder), and their rhizosphere microbial communities were studied in a mine soil polluted with high levels of Cd, Pb and Zn. Physiological response and phytoremediation potential of the studied pseudometallophytes were also investigated. The studied metallicolous populations are tolerant to metal pollution and offer potential for the development of phytoextraction and phytostabilization technologies. T. caerulescens appears very tolerant to metal stress and most suitable for metal phytoextraction; the other three species enhance soil functionality. Soil microbial properties had a stronger effect on plant biomass rather than the other way around (35.2% versus 14.9%). An ecological understanding of how contaminants, ecosystem functions and biological communities interact in the long-term is needed for proper management of these fragile metalliferous ecosystems.

conférence invitée (Key lecture)<br/>conférence invitée (Key lecture) | In France, 330 106 tons of organic wastes coming from agriculture (animal manure), industries and urban communities, are yearly recycled on cultivated soils (average of 11 ton/ha year on all the cultivated soils). Most manure have been always returned to soils but only 13% of the urban wastes on a total of potential 30 to 40% are recycled in agriculture. The French regulation requests the increase of composting and recycling up to 35% in 2012 and 45% in 2015. On the other hand, the decrease of organic matter content in soil is one of the threats towards soils that European Union has retained in the preparation of the Soil Directive regulation to control soil quality and prevent soil degradation. On the other hand in France, agriculture is geographically distributed and in many areas animal breeding has disappeared. In these regions, urban composts or other kinds of organic wastes represent valuable sources of organic matter for soils. In order to favour the development of recycling of organic wastes in agriculture, their agronomic value must be better known and their potential environmental impacts monitored in long-term field experiments. The presentation will focus on the effect of repeated organic waste application on potential carbon storage in soil and its simulation and on the control of organic pollutant potentially present in the organic wastes. Up to 60% of the applied organic carbon can be stored in soil and the potential efficiency of organic waste can be predicted based on their biochemical composition. Some persistent organic pollutants (PAH, PCB) and other more easily biodegradable (Nonylphenols, Phtalates and Linearalkylbenzene sulfonates) have been also measured in organic amendments, soil and crops in the field experiments and no accumulation have been observed. The waste treatments should be optimized to favour their dissipation before application. A model has been developed to simulate both organic matter and organic pollutant dynamics during waste composting

The effects of elevated concentrations of atmospheric tropospheric ozone (O3) on DNA damage in five trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) clones growing in a free-air enrichment experiment in the presence and absence of elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) were examined. Growing season mean hourly O3 concentrations were 36.3 and 47.3 ppb for ambient and elevated O3 plots, respectively. The 4th highest daily maximum 8-h ambient and elevated O3 concentrations were 79 and 89 ppb, respectively. Elevated CO2 averaged 524 ppm (+150 ppm) over the growing season. Exposure to O3 and CO2 in combination with O3 increased DNA damage levels above background as measured by the comet assay. Ozone-tolerant clones 271 and 8L showed the highest levels of DNA damage under elevated O3 compared with ambient air; whereas less tolerant clone 216 and sensitive clones 42E and 259 had comparably lower levels of DNA damage with no significant differences between elevated O3 and ambient air. Clone 8L was demonstrated to have the highest level of excision DNA repair. In addition, clone 271 had the highest level of oxidative damage as measured by lipid peroxidation. The results suggest that variation in cellular responses to DNA damage between aspen clones may contribute to O3 tolerance or sensitivity. Ozone tolerant clones and sensitive Populus tremuloides clones show differences in DNA damage and repair.

In 2006, a controlled infection study was performed in the ‘Kranzberger Forst’ to address the following questions: (1) Will massive artificial inoculation with Apiognomonia errabunda override the previously observed inhibitory effect of chronic ozone? (2) Can biochemical or molecular markers be detected to account for the action of ozone? To this end six adult beech trees were chosen, three ozone fumigated (2× ozone) and three control trees (ambient = 1× ozone). Spore-sprayed branches of sun and shade crown positions of each of the trees, and uninoculated control branches, were enclosed in 100-L plastic bags for one night to facilitate infection initiation. Samples were taken within a five-week period after inoculation. A. errabunda infestation levels quantified by real-time PCR increased in leaves that were not fumigated with additional ozone. Cell wall components and ACC (ethylene precursor 1-amino cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) increased upon ozone fumigation and may in part lead to the repression of fungal infection. Chronic sublethal ozone exposure reduces both natural and artificial infestation of beech leaves by the endophytic fungus Apiognomonia errabunda.