Environmental pollution by cement is a serious problem and its effects on humans and plants have warranted careful attention in Libya in recent years as well as in the rest of the world, whereas the effects on fungi have not been investigated enough. This research aimed to investigate effects of cement dust pollution on fungal populations and how cement dust influences fungal growth. Soils and leaves from a cement-dust-polluted area near the Alkomos cement factory in Libya were studied. The physiochemical characteristics of soils in the study area indicate a strong influence by cement dusts that have settled 011 the soil from the cement factory. Calcium content and pH were higher than in similar unpolluted soils in this region. The dominance of fungi of soil and leaves was lowest at 100 m from the factory and the evenness and diversity increased at this site compared to the control area and 250 m from the factory . Variability and diversity of fungi were greater in the Summer (dry season) than the winter (rainy season). Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium were the most prevalent fungi isolated from contaminated samples.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:601751 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Mlitan, Abdulmajeed Bashir |
| Publisher | University of Newcastle Upon Tyne |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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