NEMATODE COLONIZATION OF PYRITE CINDER-POLLUTED SOIL

Abstract

The nematofauna was studied in the early stages of a remediation trial at an industrial site where pyrite cinders had accumulated for 40 years in a large area and were then covered with mineral soil. The cinders were contaminated with several metals and metalloids. The soil of the experimental plots was derived from the mixture of cinders with the covering soil in a 1:1 ratio. Plots were amended with manure and sown with 3 metal resistant plants: Sorghum bicolor L., Helianthus annuus L., and Arundo donax L. Samples were taken : a) at the beginning of the trial on the pyrite cinders and covering soil, separately; b) from the mixture before the application of manure; c) from cultivated plots. Nematode communities were compared by using general composition, trophic structure, biodiversity and ecology indices. Nematofauna and other soil fauna were not detected in the pyrite cinders. Nematodes were recorded in the covering soil and after mixing with the cinders. In these early stages of the remediation process, amending and cropping increased nematode abundance and biodiversity compared to the initial situation of the pyrite cinders. The nematode community structures and all calculated indices showed an increase in the quality of the soil after the remediation process. Our results showed that phytoremediation brought about the repopulation of an extremely compromised area. Moreover, the analysis of nematofauna could be a useful tool for assessing the degree of soil disturbance and soil remediation.