Soil element composition derives from parent material disaggregation during pedogenesis and weathering processes but also by anthropogenic inputs. Elements are present in soils in different chemical forms that affect their availability and mobility. The aim of the study was to evaluate the main derivation, natural or anthropogenic, of elements in the soils of the Vesuvius National Park (a natural environment strongly affected by human impacts). Besides, the effects of age of the lava from which soils derive, different vegetation covers, traffic fluxes along the two roads connecting the Vesuvius crater and altitudes of the sites on the pseudo-total element concentrations and on their contents in different fraction of soil were investigated. To reach the aims, BCR (Bureau Commun de Référence) sequential extraction was performed in order to determine the distribution of elements into: acid-soluble, reducible, oxidizable and residual fractions. The relationship between the main environmental media and distribution of elements was discussed using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). The findings showed that, with the exception of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn that would seem to derive also from human activities, the other investigated elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Ti, V, W and Zn) mainly had a natural derivation. Among the investigated elements, only Cd could represent a potential high risk for the studied andosols. The highest element accumulations in the soils at low altitude could be attributable to an integrated effect of plant cover, vicinity of downtowns and traffic flux. The acid-soluble fraction of elements appeared more linked to lava age; the reducible and oxidizable ones to plant cover; the residual one to the chemical composition of the parent material that gave origin to the soils.

Anthropization often leads to land use transformation, causing deep changes to soil properties and its quality. Land use change could be an environmental and socioeconomic problem, as it impacts soil quality and ecosystem services. There is an urgent need to understand the pressures affecting soil quality. The aim of the work is to quantify the impact of different land uses on soil abiotic and biotic properties and on its quality. To achieve the aims, soils from different land uses (forest, urban and agricultural) were collected in the surroundings of Naples and analyzed for pH, water content, contents of C and N, C/N ratio and total and available concentrations of Cu, Ni and Pb, microbial and fungal biomasses, basal respiration and metabolic quotient. Then, a soil quality index (SQI) was calculated for each land use. The results showed that soil abiotic and biotic properties of the agricultural sites differed from those of forest and urban sites. At agricultural sites, microbial abundances decreased due to low amount of C and N and to high amount of Cu and Pb. This caused low use efficiency of energetic substrates and a reduced soil quality of agricultural sites as compared to forest and urban sites.

The assessment of Technosols quality in urban environments is pivotal for the maintenance of ecosystems impacted by human activities. The study was performed on Technosols constructed in experimental mesocosms in the suburban area of Naples (Southern Italy) to highlight changes in the main soil properties over eight years and to identify the most suitable indices at quality monitoring. In this study, several chemical, biological, and integrated indices were analysed to evaluate the mineral accumulation, potential ecological risk, edaphon activity, fertility, and the overall soil quality. The Technosols showed alkaline pH, nitrogen ranged from 24.5 to 39.5 g kg⁻¹, high organic matter contents above 40 g kg⁻¹, and there were no evident processes of soil compaction. Heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) did not exceed the thresholds defined by the Italian law for urban soils, despite their volcanic components. During eight years, the chemical indices depicted changes in the elements balance and increase in ecological risk; the biological indices indicated a reduction in the fungal fraction (fivefold) and in the resources utilisation and carbon storage. The soil quality index with all parameters highlighted the reduction in the soil quality (from 0.78 to 0.65) due to the decrease of the chemical quality, the increase of microbial stress conditions, and changes of the microbial composition, underlining the importance of integrating chemical and biological information for monitoring Technosols.