SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF COLLEMBOLA IN ROADSIDE SOIL IN RELATION TO TRAFFIC DENSITY AND WIND DIRECTION

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF COLLEMBOLA IN ROADSIDE SOIL IN RELATION TO TRAFFIC DENSITY AND WIND DIRECTION

A.I. Al-Assiuty1, *M.A. Khalil1 and S.M. Abd-Allah2
1Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt. 2Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Sohag, Egypt.
* Corresponding author: e-mail: mohkhalil62@yahoo.com

Accepted on April 21, 2005.

Abstract

To investigate the possible adverse effects of car exhaust on soil-living invertebrates in roadside verges, community studies were conducted in agricultural fields adjacent to roads of different traffic densities (1500, 650 and 90 vehicles per hour). Monthly soil samples were taken throughout a year along transects (5, 25, 50, 100 and 200 m) in both directions off the roads. Collembola were collected using modified Berlese funnels. Lead concentrations in soil increased with traffic density and were highest at the leeward side of the road. There was no influence of traffic density on levels of cadmium in roadside soil. Analysis of variance revealed that traffic density had a significant negative effect on collembolan abundance, but there were interactions with distance from the road and with wind direction. Abundance of Collembola was highest in summer and autumn. The distribution of Collembola along the transects was not correlated with the lead distribution. It is concluded that (i) heavy traffic may adversely affect abundance of Collembola in roadside soils, (ii) it remains unsure whether the effects can be attributed to lead accumulation alone or to other influences of heavy traffic, (iii) wind direction plays an important role in the distribution of traffic-related contaminants and their possible effects on soil Collembola.

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