in vegetated soils, Zn was probably sorbed to roots (Table 1), while, in non-vegetated soils, labile Zn might have been lost through leaching. The beneficial effect of vegetation on soil microbial communities more than counteracts the potential negative effect of higher bioavailable Zn concentrations. By contrast, at 0 month, soil phytotoxicity, as reflected by L. sativa root elongation, was in many cases not significantly different in vegetated versus non-vegetated sites (Fig. 3).