Abstract

Soils are essential for maintaining terrestrial ecosystems' functions, and their health is therefore a determinant factor for the survival of living organisms in these ecosystems. The degradation of this type of habitat is a major problem. This degradation can be brought upon by pollution, either of the organic or inorganic type. In particular, the presence of copper (Cu) in soils at certain concentrations is well known to be particularly toxic for microorganisms. Copper can affect essential soil processes, effects which can last for long periods of time. In the literature, the necessity to develop soil health indicators has often been mentioned.

The objectives of this research project are: (1) to validate the Relative Soil Stability Index (RSSI) as an indicator of the impact of a soil copper contamination on soil health; (2) to verify the capacity of the RSSI to decouple the impact of copper on enzyme activity and that of naturally occurring soil properties (e.g. pH); and (3) to evaluate the ability of the RSSI to distinguish between different soil copper concentrations. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)