Abstract: Six sediment samples were collected from different outfield places. A five-day growth experiment and a twenty-day chronic toxicity experiment with the sediments were conducted with first instar Chironomus tepperi larvae. Head capsule width, body length, average time to male and female adult emergence, growth rate, total survival, emergence rate, and sex ratios were employed to evaluate the effects of contaminants in the sediments on C. tepperi. The results showed that body length, total survival and total emergence rate were significantly inhibited by zinc, copper, arsenic, lead, and cadmium contamination (P<0.05), while time to female adult emergence, time to male adult emergence and growth rate were significantly increased by zinc, copper, arsenic, lead, and cadmium contamination (P<0.05). Head capsule width and sex ratio of C. tepperi were not significantly correlated with metal concentrations in the sediments. The whole eight indicators were not significantly affected by chrome, nickel and cobalt. Among all the factors, body length of C. tepperi larvae, time to adult C. tepperi emergence, emergence rate and total survival rate were important in testing sediment quality.

Key words: Pinus bungeana, soil propagule bank., ectomycorrhizal fungi