BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A SOUTHEAST KANSAS MINING SITE
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Soils from a heavy metal contaminated southeast Kansas mining site were characterized for microbial resistance to zinc, cadmium, and lead. Plant availability indices (DTPA-extractable) for zinc were very high in the waste material (610 g g-1), while levels of lead and cadmium were more moderate, 45 and 4.3 g g-1, respectively. Soil contamination decreased with distance from the mine tailings or 'chat'. In the rhizosphere, bacterial resistance to zinc and cadmium increased as the DTPA-extractable plant availability indices increased. Mycorrhizal root colonization was not affected by the heavy metal concentration in the soil. The established vegetation in the contaminated area included warm- and cool-season grasses as well as forbs and sedges. 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers.