Comparison of heavy-metal bioaccumulation properties in Pinus sp. and Quercus sp. in selected European Cu deposits

Heavy-metal contamination of Pinus pinaster, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, and Q. rotundifolium was studied in four abandoned historic Cu deposits from Italy (Libiola, Caporciano), Portugal (São Domingos), and Slovakia (L'ubietová). The highest Cu and Mn contents in anthropogenic soil were desc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Web ecology Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 81 - 87
Main Authors: AndráÅ¡, Peter, Turisová, Ingrid, Buccheri, Giuseppe, de Matos, João Manuel Xavier, Dirner, Vojtech
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Gottingen Copernicus GmbH 12-04-2016
Copernicus Publications
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Heavy-metal contamination of Pinus pinaster, P. sylvestris, Quercus robur, and Q. rotundifolium was studied in four abandoned historic Cu deposits from Italy (Libiola, Caporciano), Portugal (São Domingos), and Slovakia (L'ubietová). The highest Cu and Mn contents in anthropogenic soil were described in Libiola and Caporciano whereas the highest Pb, Zn, As, and Sb contents in São Domingos. The anthropogenic soil in L'ubietová shows the highest Co contents. The area of São Domingos is the most acidified. There are important differences between the bioaccumulation of plants from individual deposits. Bioavailability of the heavy metals is generally independent of the pH values. The high Ca and Mg contents in soil are able to block the transport of heavy metals to the plant tissues. The bioconcentration factor values of all plant taxa, in all deposits, indicate a predominant strategy of excluders. Only Ag shows excellent bioconcentration ability. In L'ubietová, Pinus sylvestris has a strategy as an accumulator of Pb (2.43) and Zn (2.49); Pinus pinaster of Mn (4.97), Cd (1.85), and Co (5.62) and Quercus rotundifolium of Mn (3.54) in São Domingos. The predominantly low translocation factor values indicate that in most cases the heavy metals are accumulated in roots; only in a few rare cases do they migrate to shoots (e.g. Zn in Pinus sp. from all localities, Co in P. pinaster in São Domingos).
ISSN:1399-1183
2193-3081
1399-1183
DOI:10.5194/we-16-81-2016