Effects of heavy metal pollution on the ecological and biological characteristics of common chernozem

A detailed comprehensive study on the effects of heavy metals on the biological activity and other characteristics of common chernozem of the southern European facies was performed. This involved the analysis of various microbiological and biochemical indices characterizing soil biological activity, their dynamics, a set of several metals and their different chemical forms, and a wide range of metal concentrations in the soil. New important aspects of the effects of heavy metals on biological processes in the soil were revealed. An integral method was proposed for assessing changes in the total biological activity of the soil on the basis of informative indices used in the monitoring, diagnosis, and indication of soils polluted with heavy metals. Geographic trends in changes of soil resistance to heavy metal pollution were analyzed within the common chernozem subtype and by comparing chernozem with other soils.