The mycobial biomass is considered an important ecological indicator because it is responsible for the decomposition and mineralization of plant and animal residues in the soil, i.e., generator of nutrients. The present work aims to characterize the C, N, and P of the mycobacterial biomass and its behavior under the presence of metals in samples of 51 sediments from the floodplain area of two streams (Anani and Piraíba), located in the Maguari hole, which represents an important ecosystem located near the urban area of Belém, where the fauna and flora resources are used for the subsistence of the population. These are receiving bodies of effluents from industrial, port, and commercial activities (shipyards, lumber mills, sawmills, tanneries, and fishing industries) and from domestic sewage from the housing developments. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-5 in and 5-10 in, and kept under refrigeration to preserve the living microorganisms. Microbial Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus were determined by the fumigation-extraction method. Preliminary research results indicate that the activities in the region are contributing to an increase in the concentration of potentially toxic metals in the bottom sediments and, mainly, in the suspended particulate material, compromising important water courses that serve as effluent receptors, and also compromising the aquatic fauna. It is hoped, with this study, to determine how the concentration of metals is influencing the mycobacterial activity of these soils.
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