Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Effects of Tree Species and Site on the Solubility of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in Soils

  • Published:
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Afforestation of former agricultural land changes soil characteristics such as pH and organic matter content, which may affect heavy metal solubility in the soil. In this study the effects of different tree species on heavy metal solubility were investigated at four 34 years old adjacent stands of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), grand fir (Abies grandis Lindl.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and oak (Quercus robur L.) planted on former agricultural land at four different sites in Denmark. The sites differ in soil characteristics and represent two texture classes (loamy sand and sandy loam). Soil pH and soil organic matter content was measured in the 16 stands and soil solution was isolated by centrifugation from three depths at four different occasions. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), pH in the soil solution and the soil solution concentrations (availability) of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. Analysis of variance showed that the tree species affects soil pH and organic matter content in the topsoil, but not in the lower horizons. Norway spruce and grand fir acidify more than beech and oak, and the highest amount of accumulated soil organic matter is in the topsoil under Norway spruce. The effects of tree species on soil solution pH and DOC resemble the effect on soil pH and organic matter content. Grand fir enhances the solubility of Cd and Zn in the topsoil with the lower solubility found under beech and oak and Norway spruce enhances the solubility of Cu, Ni and Pb in the top horizons. The lowest solubility of Ni and Pb is found under beech and oak, whereas the lowest Cu concentrations in the soil solution are found under grand fir. After 34 years of afforestation no effects of tree species on the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil solution from the C-horizons were found. The tree species effect on the concentration of Cd, Cu and Ni in the soil solution depends on the soil characteristics with the higher concentrations found in sandy loam soils, whereas no effect of site on the solution concentration was found for Pb and Zn. It was not possible to find a clear correlation between the soil solution concentrations of heavy metals, pH and DOC concentration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahokas, H.: 1997, ‘Acidification of forest top soils in 60 years to the southwest of Helsinki’, For. Ecol. Manage. 94, 187—193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alriksson, A. and Eriksson, H. M.: 1998, ‘Variations in mineral nutrient and C distribution in the soil and vegetation compartments of five temperate tree species in NE Sweden’, For. Ecol. Manage. 108, 261—273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, P. R. and Christensen, T. H.: 1988, ‘Distribution coefficients of Cd, Co, Ni, and Zn in soils’, J. Soil Sci. 39, 15—22.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Augosto, L., Turpault, M.-P. and Ranger, J.: 2000, ‘Impact of forest tree species on feldspar weathering rates’, Geoderma 96, 215—237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bak, J., Jensen, J., Larsen, M. M. and Scott-Fordsmand, J.: 1997, ‘A heavy metal monitoringprogramme in Denmark’, Sci. Total Environ. 207, 179—186.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bañuelos, G. S. and Ajwa, H. A.: 1999, ‘Trace elements in soils and plants: An overview’, J. Environ. Sci. Health A34, 951—974.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beier, C. and Gundersen, P.: 1989, ‘Atmospheric deposition to the edge of a spruce forest in Denmark’, Environ. Pollut. 60, 257—271.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bergkvist, B.: 1987, ‘Leaching of metals from forest soils as influenced by tree species and management’, For. Ecol. Manage. 22, 29—56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bergkvist, B., Folkeson, L. and Berggren, D.: 1989, ‘Fluxes of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni in temperate forest ecosystems’, Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 47, 217—286.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Binkley, D. and Sollins, P.: 1990, ‘Factors determining differences in soil pH in adjacent conifer and alder-conifer stands’, Soil Sci. Am. J. 54, 1427—1433.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Binkley, D. and Valentine, D.: 1991, ‘Fifty-year biogeochemical effects of green ash, white pine, and Norway spruce in a replicated experiment’, For. Ecol. Manage. 40, 13—25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. H. F. and Iles, M. A.: 1991, ‘Water chemistry profiles under four tree species at Gisburn, NW England', Forestry 64, 169—187.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, A. C., Page, A. L., Warneke, J. E. and Grgurevic, E.: 1984, ‘Sequential extraction of soil heavy metals following a sludge application’, J. Environ. Qual. 13, 33—38.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, J. B., Jensen, D. L. and Christensen, T. H.: 1996, ‘Effect of dissolved organic carbon on the mobility of cadmium, nickel and zinc in leachate polluted groundwater’, Water Res. 30(12), 3037—3049.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, B. E. and Davies, R. I.: 1963, ‘A simple centrifugation method for obtaining small samples of soil solution’, Nature 198, 216—217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fotovat, A. and Naidu, R.: 1998, ‘Changes in composition of soil aqueuos phase influence chemistry of indigenous heavy metals in alkaline sodic and acidic soils’, Geoderma 84, 213—234.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gooddy, D. C., Shand, P., Kinniburgh, D. G. and Van Riemsdijk, W. H.: 1995, ‘Field-based partition coefficients for trace elements in soil solutions’, Eur. J. Soil Sci. 46, 265—285.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goulding, K. W. T. and Blake, L.: 1998, ‘Land use, liming and the mobilization of potentially toxic metals’, Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 67, 135—144.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holm, P. E., Christensen, T. H., Tjell, J. C. and McGrath, S. P.: 1995, ‘Heavy metals in the environment. Speciation of cadmium and zinc with application to soil solutions’, J. Environ. Qual. 24, 183—190.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holmsgaard, E. and Bang, C.: 1977, A Species Trial with Conifers, Beech and Oak. The First Ten Years, Det Forstlige Forsøgsvæsen, pp. 161—195.

  • Jeng, A. S. and Singh, B. R.: 1993, ‘Partitioning and distribution of cadmium and zinc in selected cultivated soils in Norway’, Soil Sci. 156, 240—250.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson, M.-B.: 1995, ‘The chemical composition of needle and leaf litter from Scots pine, Norway spruce and white birch in Scandinavian forests’, Forestry 68, 49—62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karjalainen, T.: 1996, ‘The carbon sequestration potential of unmanaged forest stands in Finland under changing climatic conditions’, Biomass Bioener. 10, 313—329.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McBride, M. B.: 1989, ‘Reactions controlling heavy metal solubility in soils’, Adv. Soil Sci. 10, 1—56.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nordén, U.: 1994, ‘Influence of broad-leaved tree species on pH and organic matter content of forest topsoils in Scania, South Sweden’, Scand. J. Forest Res. 9, 1—8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Priha, O. and Smolander, A.: 1999, ‘Nitrogen transformations in soil under Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Betula pendula at two forest sites’, Soil Biol. Biochem. 31, 965—977.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Borggaard, O. K., Hansen, H. C. B. and Olsson, M.: 1998, ‘Effect of natural organic soil solutes on weathering rates of soil minerals’, Eur. J. Soil Sci. 49, 397—406.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raulund-Rasmussen, K. and Vejre, H.: 1995, ‘Effects of tree species and soil properties on the nutrient immobilization in the forest floor’, Plant Soil 168—169, 345—352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. M. C., Hornung, M. and Kennedy, V. H.: 2000, ‘Water chemistry of throughfall and soil water under four tree species at Gisburn, northwest England, before and after felling’, For. Ecol. Manage. 129, 101—117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Römkens, P. F. A. M. and Salomons, W.: 1998, ‘Cd, Cu, and Zn solubility in arable and forest soils: Consequenses of land use changes for metal mobility and risk assessment’, Soil Sci. 163, 859—871.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rühling, Å., Rasmussen, L., Pilegaard, K., Mäkinen, A. and Steinnes, E.: 1987, Survey of Atmospheric Heavy Metal Deposition, Nordisk Ministerråd, Göteborg, pp. 44.

  • SAS Institute Inc.: 1999, ‘SAS System’, Version 8, Cary, NC, U.S.A.

  • Sauvé, S., McBride, M. B. and Hendershot, W. H.: 1997a, ‘Speciation of lead in contaminated soils’, Environ. Pollut. 98, 149—155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sauvé, S., McBride, M. B., Norvell, W. A. and Hendershot, W. H.: 1997b, ‘Copper solubility and speciation of in situ contaminated soils: Effects of copper level, pH and organic matter’, Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 100, 133—149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soil Survey Staff: 1997, Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 7th ed., U.S. Department of Agriculture, Pocahontas Press, Inc. Blacksburg, Viginia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strobel, B.W., Bernhoft, I. and Borggaard, O. K.: 1999, ‘Low-molecular-weight aliphatic carboxylic acids in soil solutions under different vegetations determined by capillary electrophoresis’, Plant Soil 212, 115—121.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, G.: 1981, ‘Leaching of metals from the A-horizon of a spruce forest soil’, Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 15, 353—369.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vesterdal, L.: 1999, ‘Influence of soil type on mass loss and nutrient release from decomposing foliage litter of beech and Norway spruce’, Can. J. Forest Res. 29, 95—105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vesterdal, L. and Raulund-Rasmussen, K.: 1998, ‘Forest floor chemistry under seven tree species along a soil fertility gradient’, Can. J. Forest Res. 28, 1636—1647.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Veterinary and Agricultural University, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1870, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

    M. K. Andersen, B. W. Strobel & H. C. B. Hansen

  2. Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute, Hoersholm Kongevej 11, 2970, Hoersholm, Denmark

    K. Raulund-Rasmussen

Authors
  1. M. K. Andersen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Raulund-Rasmussen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B. W. Strobel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. H. C. B. Hansen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. C. B. Hansen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Andersen, M.K., Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Strobel, B.W. et al. The Effects of Tree Species and Site on the Solubility of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in Soils. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 154, 357–370 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000022991.59456.01

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000022991.59456.01

Search

Navigation