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Tungsten Effects on Microbial Community Structure and Activity in a Soil
Author(s) -
Ringelberg D. B.,
Reynolds C. M.,
Winfield L. E.,
Inouye L. S.,
Johnson D. R.,
Bednar A. J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2008.0022
Subject(s) - tungsten , microbial population biology , biomass (ecology) , tungstate , chemistry , environmental chemistry , community structure , soil contamination , bacteria , microorganism , agronomy , fatty acid , soil water , biology , ecology , biochemistry , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , genetics
Tungsten, once deposited onto a soil as a result of private, industrial, and military activities, may persist as tungstate anion or, via polymerization, as a variety of poly‐tungstate species, each with varying solubility and soil sorption characteristics. In this study, the impact of weathered tungsten on a soil microbial community was measured. Fatty acid analyses indicated that weathered tungsten at ≤2500 mg kg −1 was associated with a significant increase in microbial biomass and that concentrations up to 6500 mg kg −1 did not result in a significant decrease in measured biomass, relative to the control. Analysis of cellular fatty acids also identified significant microbial community shifts between 0 and 325, 1300 and 2600, and 3900 and 6500 mg W kg −1 soil. In general, the positive effect of tungsten on microbial biomass coincided with an increase in Gram‐negative bacterial fatty acids, whereas fatty acids indicative of actinomycetes and Gram‐positive bacteria were more abundant at the highest soil tungsten concentrations. The weathered tungsten also inhibited N 2 fixing activity of a free living diazotroph at ≥1300 mg W kg −1 soil. These results indicate that tungsten in soil can alter both the structure and the function of an indigenous soil microbial community.