Dynamic distribution and accumulation of PAHs in winter wheat during whole plant growth: Field investigation

Dynamic distribution and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Pueraria lobata during growth based on field experiment

The regulation investigation of the uptake, distribution, and accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the crop growing is essential for human health risk assessments. As an important crop with Chinese medicine homologous food function, Pueraria lobata (P. lobata) was selected as the model crop with rhizome as the products to explore the absorption, and distribution of PAHs under the natural field environment for the first time. After treated with PAHs in soil at different growth stages, the detailed PAHs in soil and tissue were analyzed. The results showed the agronomics traits of P. lobata had no obvious change after treated with PAHs, especially at the maturity stage. The accumulation of Σ16PAHs in the soil had obvious seasonal dependence, and increased by 31 %, 76 % and 90 % treated with low-, medium-, and high-dose treatment at maturity stage, respectively. The tissues absorption of PAHs were selective with the leaves preferring low-rings and roots for high-rings, due to high-rings PAH being difficult to migrate to the above-ground part through transpiration flow. Notably, low-dose PAHs treatment could promote the production of total polysaccharides and main isoflavone, while medium-dose and high-dose PAHs treatment inhibited their production. The above result confirmed that PAHs could be adsorbed by P. lobata with different routes, roots mainly absorbed PAHs by root uptake from soil, leaves mainly accumulated PAHs by the foliar uptake, and the absorbed PAHs could affect the quality of P. lobata. Based on these results, the concentration of PAHs in the field should be strictly monitored.

Plant Defense Mechanisms against Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Contamination: Insights into the Role of Extracellular Vesicles

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants that pose significant environmental and health risks. These compounds originate from both natural phenomena, such as volcanic activity and wildfires, and anthropogenic sources, including vehicular emissions, industrial processes, and fossil fuel combustion. Their classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic substances link them to various cancers and health disorders. PAHs are categorized into low-molecular-weight (LMW) and high-molecular-weight (HMW) groups, with HMW PAHs exhibiting greater resistance to degradation and a tendency to accumulate in sediments and biological tissues. Soil serves as a primary reservoir for PAHs, particularly in areas of high emissions, creating substantial risks through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation. Coastal and aquatic ecosystems are especially vulnerable due to concentrated human activities, with PAH persistence disrupting microbial communities, inhibiting plant growth, and altering ecosystem functions, potentially leading to biodiversity loss. In plants, PAH contamination manifests as a form of abiotic stress, inducing oxidative stress, cellular damage, and growth inhibition. Plants respond by activating antioxidant defenses and stress-related pathways. A notable aspect of plant defense mechanisms involves plant-derived extracellular vesicles (PDEVs), which are membrane-bound nanoparticles released by plant cells. These PDEVs play a crucial role in enhancing plant resistance to PAHs by facilitating intercellular communication and coordinating defense responses. The interaction between PAHs and PDEVs, while not fully elucidated, suggests a complex interplay of cellular defense mechanisms. PDEVs may contribute to PAH detoxification through pollutant sequestration or by delivering enzymes capable of PAH degradation. Studying PDEVs provides valuable insights into plant stress resilience mechanisms and offers potential new strategies for mitigating PAH-induced stress in plants and ecosystems.

Accumulation of Atmospheric PAHs in White Mustard - Can the Seeds Be Affected?

Traffic-related particulate matter emissions have been considerably reduced due to stringent regulations in Europe. However, emission of diesel-powered vehicles still poses a significant environmental threat, affecting rural ecosystems and agriculture. Several studies have reported that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of potentially toxic organic compounds, can accumulate in crops and vegetables. In our study, white mustard (Sinapis alba L.) plants were experimentally treated with an extract of diesel exhaust. PAH concentrations were measured in the different plant compartments (stems, leaves and seeds), bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were also calculated. Significant accumulation was measured in the leaves and seeds, stems showed lower accumulation potential. All plant matrices showed high tendency to accumulate higher molecular weight PAHs, BCF was the highest in the 6-ring group. The fact that considerable accumulation was experienced in the seeds might show the risk of cultivating crops nearby roads highly impacted by traffic-related emissions.

A new strategy of using periphyton to simultaneously promote remediation of PAHs-contaminated soil and production of safer crops

Contaminated farmland leads to serious problems for human health through biomagnification in the soil-crop-human chain. In this paper, we have established a new soil remediation strategy using periphyton for the production of safer rice. Four representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), were chosen to generate artificially contaminated soil. Pot experiments demonstrated that in comparison with rice cultivation in polluted soil with ΣPAHs (50 mg kg-1) but without periphyton, adding periphyton decreased ΣPAHs contents in both rice roots and shoots by 98.98% and 99.76%, respectively, and soil ΣPAHs removal reached 94.19%. Subsequently, risk assessment of ΣPAHs based on toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ), pollution load index (PLI), hazard index (HI), toxic unit for PAHs mixture (TUm), and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) indicated that periphyton lowered the ecological and carcinogenicity risks of PAHs. Besides, the role of periphyton in enhancing the rice productivity was revealed. The results indicated that periphyton alleviated the oxidative stress of PAHs on rice by reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increasing total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC). Periphyton reduced the toxic stress of PAHs on the soil by promoting soil carbon cycling and metabolic activities as well. Periphyton also improved the soil's physicochemical properties, such as the percentage of soil aggregate, the contents of humic substances (HSs) and nutrients, which increased rice biomass. These findings confirmed that periphyton could improve rice productivity by enhancing soil quality and health. This study provides a new eco-friendly strategy for soil remediation and simultaneously enables the production of safe crops on contaminated land.

Factors influencing the fate of chemical food safety hazards in the terrestrial circular primary food production system-A comprehensive review

Food safety is recognized as a major hurdle in the transition toward circular food production systems due to the potential reintroduction and accumulation of chemical contaminants in these food systems. Effectively managing these hazardous contaminants in a risk-based manner requires quantitative insights into the factors influencing the presence and fate of contaminants in the entire circular food chain. A systematic literature review was performed to gain an up-to-date overview of the known factors and their influence on the transfer and accumulation of contaminants. This review focused on the terrestrial circular primary food production system, including the pathways between waste- or byproduct-based fertilizers, soil, crops, animal feed, and farmed animals. This review revealed an imbalance in research regarding the different pathways: studies on the soil-to-crop pathway were most abundant. The factors identified can be categorized as compound-related (intrinsic) factors, such as hydrophobicity, molecular weight, and chain length, and extrinsic factors, such as soil organic matter and carbon, pH, milk yield of cows, crop age, and biomass. Quantitative data on the influence of the identified factors were limited. Most studies quantified the influence of individual factors, whereas only a few studies quantified the combined effect of multiple factors. By providing a holistic insight into the influential factors and the quantification of their influence on the fate of contaminants, this review contributes to the improvement of food safety management for chemical hazards when transitioning to a circular food system.

Remediation of heavily PAHs-contaminated soil with high mineral content from a coking plant using surfactant-enhanced soil washing

This study investigated the effectiveness of various surfactants at different concentrations in removing high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil with high mineral content, focusing on the impact of surfactant treatment on the mobility of the residual PAHs in soil. The results revealed that the cationic surfactant (CTMAB) inhibited removal of PAHs in the whole tested concentration range of 0.1-8 g/L. In contrast, the non-ionic and anionic surfactants (Triton X-100 and SDBS) significantly enhanced removal of PAHs as their amendment concentrations reached 2 g/L and above. Triton X-100 exhibited steadily increased efficacy with increasing amendment concentrations and maintained favorable solubilization capability when continuously amended, making it the preferable choice for remediating PAHs-contaminated soil. Surfactant and water washing processes altered soil physicochemical properties by removing some clay minerals (e.g., faujasite) and organic matter that can bind or sequester PAHs, potentially increasing their extractability and bioavailability in the washed soil, thereby posing higher ecological risks compared to the original one. Although soil washing decreased retention of the remaining PAHs in soil, it did not significantly impact PAHs release from soil by flowing water. These findings provide insights into the long-term effectiveness and ecological impacts of surfactant-enhanced washing as a potential remediation technique for PAHs-contaminated soil.

Expeditious profiling of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons transport and obstruction mechanisms in crop xylem sap proteins via proteomics and molecular docking

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pose significant environmental risks due to their toxicity and carcinogenic properties. This research seeks to pinpoint protein targets in crop xylem sap related to PAH contamination and delve into their protein-ligand interactions using computational tools. Proteomic assessment revealed differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), which were subjected to virtual high-throughput screening. Notably, the phenanthrene's influence on xylem sap proteins in maize and wheat was more pronounced than in soybean, with DEPs expression peak at 24 h post-treatment. Maize DEPs were predominantly associated with lipid biosynthesis. Phenanthrene impacted cell membrane hydrophobicity, limiting PAH adsorption and decreasing its concentration in maize xylem sap. Wheat DEPs exhibited an increase in ABC transporters after 24 h of phenanthrene exposure. ABC transporters interacted with stress-responsive proteins like C6TIY1-Co-chaperone p23 and others that either facilitate or inhibit PAH transport, including Indeno[1,2,3-cd]Pyrene and C6TIY1-Co-chaperone protein p23. Both maize and wheat created high-affinity complexes between specific proteins and PAHs, influencing their transport. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of PAH regulation and movement within plant xylem.

Migration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the rhizosphere micro-interface of soil-ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) system

The unclear multi-media and multi-interface processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in environments have drawn great concern. Here, 16 controlled PAHs were selected to reveal the differences in the bioavailability and migration of congeners in soil-ryegrass exposure system. The presence of ryegrass in the exposure groups (with newly introduced PAHs) resulted in a decrease in PAHs dissipation (31.3 %) from soil compared to the unplanted groups (43.2 %). The presence of ryegrass inhibited the soil-air exchange process, which has not been widely reported. PAH congeners with less benzene rings (molecular weight < B[a]A) had consistent bioavailability before and after long-term aging, the competition between adsorption/absorption to plants and soil was not strong (RCFs < 3.5), and their migration in the rhizosphere rapidly reached equilibrium. PAH congeners with more benzene rings (molecular weight ≥ B[a]A) adsorbed to soil particles and significantly decreased their bioavailability after long-term aging. Their concentrations in the rhizosphere were stable and lower than bulk soil, revealing their slow equilibrium process in soil. In addition, PAHs with larger molecular weight and KOW showed less migration at the rhizosphere micro-interface. The migration behavior of congeners with close KOW depended on their molecular structure. Congeners with non-symmetric K-region or L-region showed greater migration ability in the rhizosphere. These findings revealed the fate of PAHs, especially different PAH congeners, in the rhizosphere interfaces for the first time, and explored the molecular mechanisms that affect their rhizosphere behaviors, improving the understanding and knowledge of PAHs in the microenvironment, providing new data on evaluating and controlling the environmental risks of PAHs.

Distribution and transfer rules of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil-wheat ecosystems in China

The translocation and accumulation patterns of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil-crop system have important implications for the fate of PAHs and human health. This study summarized the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs in the soils and various parts of mature winter wheat in China, sourced from a screening of previous literature in English and Chinese databases. The study analyzes the distribution characteristics, transfer patterns, and human health risks of PAHs in sites studied in Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong provinces. The results showed that the concentrations of Σ16 PAHs in the rhizosphere soil of wheat ranged from 10.30 to 893.68 ng/g, in descending order of Shaanxi > Henan > average > Shandong. In sites with mild to moderate contamination (200 < Σ16 PAHs < 600 ng/g; i.e., Henan and Shaanxi), the concentration of Σ16 PAHs in the roots was higher than that in the stems or the grains, while in contamination-free sites (Σ16 PAHs < 200 ng/g; i.e., Shandong), the highest concentration of Σ16 PAHs was found in the stems. Generally, the concentrations of PAHs increased in the order of roots-stems-grains. The predominant PAHs in each part of wheat were 2- or 3-ring compounds, with five- or six-ring PAHs being more prevalent in wheat from Shanghe, Shandong. The bioaccumulation factors of different wheat parts from Shaanxi and Henan were consistently smaller than 1, and low- and medium-ring (2-4 rings) PAHs had bigger bioconcentration factors than high-ring (5-6 rings) PAHs. However, the accumulation of PAHs in the aboveground parts of wheat was larger than that in the underground parts of the Shandong sites. The linear regression relationship between the octanol-water partition coefficient and root concentration factor (RCF) of PAHs reflected that low and medium-ring PAHs were more easily absorbed by wheat roots than high-ring PAHs in Shaanxi and Henan. Our assessment of the health risks of oral wheat intake in adults and children by the incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) model found a potential carcinogenic risk for both age groups in each province, with higher risks in adults than in children.

Effects of long-term herbaceous plant restoration on microbial communities and metabolic profiles in coal gangue-contaminated soil

The soil microbial diversity in the gangue accumulation area is severely stressed by a variety of heavy metals, while the influence of long-term recovery of herbaceous plants on the ecological structure of gangue-contaminated soil is to be explored. Therefore, we analysed the differences in physicochemical properties, elemental changes, microbial community structure, metabolites and expression of related pathways in soils in the 10- and 20-year herbaceous remediation areas of coal gangue. Our results showed that phosphatase, soil urease, and sucrase activities of gangue soils significantly increased in the shallow layer after herbaceous remediation. However, in zone T1 (10-year remediation zone), the contents of harmful elements, such as Thorium (Th; 1.08-fold), Arsenic (As; 0.78-fold), lead (Pb; 0.99-fold), and uranium (U; 0.77-fold), increased significantly, whereas the soil microbial abundance and diversity also showed a significant decreasing trend. Conversely, in zone T2 (20-year restoration zone), the soil pH significantly increased by 1.03- to 1.06-fold and soil acidity significantly improved. Moreover, the abundance and diversity of soil microorganisms increased significantly, the expression of carbohydrates in soil was significantly downregulated, and sucrose content was significantly negatively correlated with the abundance of microorganisms, such as Streptomyces. A significant decrease in heavy metals was observed in the soil, such as U (1.01- to 1.09-fold) and Pb (1.13- to 1.25-fold). Additionally, the thiamin synthesis pathway was inhibited in the soil of the T1 zone; the expression level of sulfur (S)-containing histidine derivatives (Ergothioneine) was significantly up-regulated by 0.56-fold in the shallow soil of the T2 zone; and the S content in the soil significantly reduced. Aromatic compounds were significantly up-regulated in the soil after 20 years of herbaceous plant remediation in coal gangue soil, and microorganisms (Sphingomonas) with significant positive correlations with benzene ring-containing metabolites, such as Sulfaphenazole, were identified.

Al-Dalain S, Al-Dmour R, Alahmad A, Batarseh MI. Accumulation, Source Identification, and Cancer Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Different Jordanian Vegetables

The accumulation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in plants is considered one of the most serious threats faced by mankind because of their persistence in the environment and their carcinogenic and teratogenic effect on human health. The concentrations of sixteen priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16 PAHs) were determined in four types of edible vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, and cucumbers), irrigation water, and agriculture soil, where samples were collected from the Jordan Valley, Jordan. The mean total concentration of 16 PAHs (∑16PAHs) ranged from 10.649 to 21.774 µg kg−1 in vegetables, 28.72 µg kg−1 in soil, and 0.218 µg L−1 in the water samples. The tomato samples posed the highest ∑16PAH concentration level in the vegetables, whereas the zucchini samples had the lowest. Generally, the PAHs with a high molecular weight and four or more benzene rings prevailed among the studied samples. The diagnostic ratios and the principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the PAH contamination sources in soil and vegetables mainly originated from a pyrogenic origin, traffic emission sources, and biomass combustion. The bioconcentration factors (BCF) for ∑16PAHs have been observed in the order of tomatoes > cucumbers and eggplants > zucchini. A potential cancer risk related to lifetime consumption was revealed based on calculating the incremental lifetime cancer risk of PAHs (ILCR). Therefore, sustainable agricultural practices and avoiding biomass combusting would greatly help in minimizing the potential health risk from dietary exposure to PAHs.

Uptake and accumulation of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and benzo(b)fluoranthene in winter wheat affected by foliar exposure at different growth stages

Foliar uptake, as an important pathway of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) accumulation in winter wheat, has a great contribution to wheat PAHs, which mainly depends on atmospheric PAHs level. An indoor simulation experiment was conducted to explore the effects of foliar exposure to PAHs at different growth stages on PAHs uptake in wheat. Three levels (0, 0.75, 4.5 mg L^-1) of mixed solution of three PAHs (Σ₃PAHs) including naphthalene (NAP), phenanthrene (PHE), and benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF) were sprayed on leaves of two varieties (Yunong, YN; Xiaoyan, XY) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during the booting, heading, pre-filling, and post-filling stage. The results showed that the sprayed PAHs exhibited little effects on the growth of the two varieties except the stem biomass of YN was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced when high concentration of PAHs was applied at the post-filling stage. PAHs concentration in winter wheat grain was highest under foliar exposure at the pre-filling stage, while the lowest was found under foliar exposure at the post-filling stage. Transfer factor of PAHs from stem to root (TF_root/stem) of three PAHs when foliar exposure to PAHs at the booting and heading stage was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that at the pre-filling and post-filling stage, while TF_grain/glume of three PAHs when foliar exposure to PAHs at pre-filling stage was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that at the other three stages. These results indicated that foliar exposure to PAHs during the vegetative growth stage was transferred and distributed to the root, while PAHs are mainly transferred and accumulated to the grain during the grain filling stage. Additionally, the higher lipophilic PAHs showed a lower ability to transfer from the glume to grain, and larger flag leaf area had the potential to promote the enrichment of PAHs in grain. This study indicated that the health risk of PAHs in winter wheat could be effectively reduced by controlling atmospheric PAHs level during pre-filling stage.

Effects of Corn Straw and Citric Acid on Removal of PAHs in Contaminated Soil Related to Changing of Bacterial Community and Functional Gene Expression

Root exudates can stimulate microbial degradation in rhizosphere, but it is unclear whether the rhizodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurs in corn straw-amended soil. Either citric acid or corn straw was added into PAHs-contaminated soil to investigate their effect on the removal of PAHs. Either corn straw (Y) or combined application of corn straw and citric acid (YN100) significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the removal of soil PAHs by 8.43% and 18.62%, respectively. Both Y and YN100 treatments obviously increased the abundance of PAHs degraders and the potential hosts of PAH-ring hydroxylating dioxygenase (PAH-RHDα) genes. Interestingly, the copies of PAH-RHDα Gram-negative bacteria genes under YN100 treatment was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those under Y treatment. The present results indicated that combined application of corn straw and citric acid could efficiently enhance the removal of PAHs in soil, mainly via increasing the relative abundances of PAH-degrading bacteria and the expression of PAH-RHDα genes in contaminated soil.

The potential risks and exposure of Qinling giant pandas to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have created a substantial urban-rural gradient for various pollutants. The Qinling Mountains are highly important in terms of biodiversity, providing habitat for giant pandas, which are endemic to China and are a widely recognized symbol for conservation. Whether polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure risks regarding in situ animal conservation zones are affected by environmental pollution or even enhanced by the mountain-trapping effect requires further research. Our group carried out a large-scale investigation on the area ranging from Xi'an to Hanzhong across the giant panda habitat in the Qinling Mountains by collecting atmosphere, soil, bamboo, and fecal samples from different sites over a two-year period. The total toxicity of atmospheric PAHs and the frequencies of soil PAHs above effect range low (ERL) values showed a decreasing trend from urban areas to the central mountains, suggesting a distance effect from the city. The proportions of total 5- and 6-ring PAHs in the atmosphere were higher in the central mountainous areas than in the urban areas, while this difference was reversed in the soil. Health risk assessments showed that the incremental lifetime carcinogenic risks (ILCR) of PAH exposure by bamboo ingestion ranged from 2.16 × 10^-4 to 3.11 × 10^-4, above the critical level of 10^-4. Bamboo ingestion was the main driver of the PAH exposure risks. The concentration difference between bamboo and fecal samples provided a reference for the level of PAHs absorbed by the panda digestive system. Since the Qinling Mountains possess the highest density of giant pandas and provide habitats to many other endangered animal and plant species, we should not ignore the probability of health risks posed by PAHs. Monitoring the pollution level and reducing the atmospheric emissions of toxic pollutants are recommended actions. Further detailed research should also be implemented on pandas' health effects of contaminant exposure.

Combined application of rhamnolipid and agricultural wastes enhances PAHs degradation via increasing their bioavailability and changing microbial community in contaminated soil

Either biosurfactants or agricultural wastes were frequently used to enhance degradation of PAHs in soil, but there is still not clear whether combined application of biosurfactants and agricultural wastes is more efficient. Rhamnolipid and/or agricultural wastes (mushroom substrate or maize straw) were mixed with PAHs-contaminated soil to explore their performances in the removal of PAHs. The present study showed that rhamnolipid combined with mushroom substrate (MR, 30.36%) or maize straw (YR, 30.76%) significantly enhanced the degradation of soil PAHs compared with single application of mushroom substrate (M, 25.53%) or maize straw (Y, 25.77%) or no addition (19.38%). The addition of agricultural wastes significantly (p < 0.001) enhanced concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in soil. The combined application obviously improved the bioavailability of PAHs in soils and exhibited synergistic effects on concentration of organic acid-soluble HMW PAHs and the degradation rate of total HMW PAHs. Meanwhile, the combined application significantly (p < 0.01) enhanced the abundance of dominant bacterial and fungal genera being connected with PAHs degradation. The removal rate of PAHs was positively correlated with the dominant genera of bacteria (r = 0.539-0.886, p < 0.05) and fungi (r = 0.526-0.867, p < 0.05) related to PAHs degradation. Overall, the combined application exhibited a better performance in the removal of PAHs in contaminated soil via increasing their bioavailability and changing microbial communities in soil.

Biochar applications combined with paddy-upland rotation cropping systems benefit the safe use of PAH-contaminated soils: From risk assessment to microbial ecology

This study aimed to establish a method allowing the safe use of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils through the combination of biochar applications and different cropping systems. The impact of biochar applications under different cropping systems on the human health risks of PAHs and soil microbiology was elucidated. The residual PAHs were the lowest in rhizosphere soils amended with 2% corn straw-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 300 °C (CB300) under the paddy-upland rotation cropping (PURC) system. Human health risks resulting from the ingestion of PAH-contaminated carrot roots / rice grains under the PURC system were significantly lower than those under continuous upland cropping systems. The greatest diversity, richness and network complexity of soil microbial communities occurred under the PURC system combined with the 2% CB300 treatment. Soil microbial functions associated with soil health and PAH biodegradation were enhanced under this strategy, while the pathogen group was inhibited. Primarily owing to its high sorption capacity, bamboo-derived biochar pyrolyzed at 700 °C realized in the reduction of PAHs, but weakly influenced shifts in soil microbial communities. Overall, the combination of PURC systems and low-temperature-pyrolyzed nutrient-rich biochar could efficiently reduce the human health risks of PAHs and improve soil microbial ecology in agricultural fields.