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Evaluation of enzyme activities in long-term polluted soils with mine tailing deposits of San Luis Potosí, México

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

San Luis Potosí is one of the largest metal producers; mining activity has been responsible for metal emissions for over 100 years, from several sources (deposits, tailings, effluents, and dusts) generating effects in human and ecosystem health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil health of four municipalities of San Luis Potosí contaminated with mine tailings, using enzyme activity as a biochemical endpoint.

Materials and methods

Four municipalities contaminated with residues of historical mining activity were analyzed (25 topsoil samples per type of site contaminated and reference). The parameters that were analyzed included pH; organic matter (OM); electrical conductivity (EC); percentage of clay, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn; and arylsulfatase (ARS), β-glucosidase (BG), urease (UR), and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis (FDA) activities in soil. Differences among the parameters per municipality and type of site were evaluated using a factorial analysis of variance. The relationships were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation and a stepwise distance-based linear model permutation test (DistLM). Results were visualized using a distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA). A hazard quotient (HQ) for metals was calculated in order to estimate the effects on soil microbial processes.

Results and discussion

A concentration gradient (mg/kg) of Zn (4744.5–65,585.7), Pb (1321.0–31,932.2), As (ND-8736.7), and Cu (130.9–8475.4) was found in the contaminated sites. The HQ showed a very high hazard level for the elements detected in all contaminated sites (1.4–655.8). The pattern of enzymatic inhibition found was ARS (95.8 %), UR (90.6 %), FDA (86.9 %), and BG (76.0 %). Strong negative relationships were observed among enzymatic activities and heavy metals in the following inhibitory effect Cu > As > Zn > Pb. Metals and covariables explained from 84 to 86 % of variability in enzyme activity. EC, Cu, and As showed a strong inhibitory effect; and parameters such as OM, pH, and clay were found to have a slightly inducing effect.

Conclusions

In this study, the heavy metal concentrations were higher than the ones obtained in other reports for this region. The HQ reveals the presence of possible risks for the health of life in the region. The decrease of enzyme activities in soil could trigger adverse changes in the flow of matter and energy in ecosystems. This study provides a field baseline that could be part of a long-term monitoring program for these locations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CB-178778) and Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (C12-FAI-03-67.67). Special thanks to Miss Laura Carmen Martínez Turrubiartes for English language editing of the manuscript and PhD. Edlin Guerra Castro for the multivariate analysis advice. None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México

    Ángeles Martínez-Toledo

  2. Facultad de Medicina, Coordinación para la Aplicación de la Ciencia y la Tecnología- Centro de Investigación Aplicada en Ambiente y Salud (CIACyT-CIAAS), San Luis Potosí, S.L.P, México

    Ángeles Martínez-Toledo, Angel Montes-Rocha, Donaji J. González-Mille, Guillermo Espinosa-Reyes, Jesús J. Mejia-Saavedra & César A. Ilizaliturri-Hernández

  3. Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad San Cristóbal, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chis, México

    Donaji J. González-Mille & Arturo Torres-Dosal

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  1. Ángeles Martínez-Toledo
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  2. Angel Montes-Rocha
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  3. Donaji J. González-Mille
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  4. Guillermo Espinosa-Reyes
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  5. Arturo Torres-Dosal
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  6. Jesús J. Mejia-Saavedra
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  7. César A. Ilizaliturri-Hernández
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Correspondence to César A. Ilizaliturri-Hernández.

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Martínez-Toledo, Á., Montes-Rocha, A., González-Mille, D.J. et al. Evaluation of enzyme activities in long-term polluted soils with mine tailing deposits of San Luis Potosí, México. J Soils Sediments 17, 364–375 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1529-8

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