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Nutrient leaching, soil pH and changes in microbial community increase with time in lead-contaminated boreal forest soil at a shooting range area

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 24, pages 5415–5425 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Despite the known toxicity of lead (Pb), Pb pellets are widely used at shotgun shooting ranges over the world. However, the impacts of Pb on soil nutrients and soil microbes, playing a crucial role in nutrient cycling, are poorly understood. Furthermore, it is unknown whether these impacts change with time after the cessation of shooting. To shed light on these issues, three study sites in the same coniferous forest in a shooting range area were studied: an uncontaminated control site and an active and an abandoned shooting range, both sharing a similar Pb pellet load in the soil, but the latter with a 20-year longer contamination history. Soil pH and nitrate concentration increased, whilst soil phosphate concentration and fungal phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) decreased due to Pb contamination. Our results imply that shooting-derived Pb can influence soil nutrients and microbes not only directly but also indirectly by increasing soil pH. However, these mechanisms cannot be differentiated here. Many of the Pb-induced changes were most pronounced at the abandoned range, and nutrient leaching was increased only at that site. These results suggest that Pb disturbs the structure and functions of the soil system and impairs a crucial ecosystem service, the ability to retain nutrients. Furthermore, the risks of shooting-derived Pb to the environment increase with time.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Lahden ampumaseura (LAS) for co-operation, Mia Suontaus and Marianne Lehtonen for their help in PLFA and nutrient analyses, respectively, Tuukka Ryynänen and Sandro Heide for preparing the lysimeters and Johan Kotze for checking the language. We also thank Mira Liiri, Gaia Francini and Marja Mattsson for their kind advice concerning the statistical analyses and interpretation of the PLFA data and Juliane Filser for her valuable comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by Helsinki University Research Centre (HERC, currently HENVI); Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation; Finnish Cultural Foundation, Päijät-Häme Regional Fund; Onni ja Hilja Tuovisen Säätiö; Kone Foundation and Finnish Cultural Foundation.

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  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, 15140, Lahti, Finland

    Salla Selonen & Heikki Setälä

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  1. Salla Selonen
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Correspondence to Salla Selonen.

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Selonen, S., Setälä, H. Nutrient leaching, soil pH and changes in microbial community increase with time in lead-contaminated boreal forest soil at a shooting range area. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 5415–5425 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8278-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8278-5

Keywords

  • Pb
  • Contaminated soil
  • PLFA
  • Microbial community
  • Nutrient leaching
  • Disturbance
  • Coniferous forest
  • Ecosystem service