Levels of selected trace elements in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), silver birch (Betula pendula L.), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) in an urbanized environment

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the concentrations of selected trace elements in needles and bark of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), leaves and bark of silver birch (Betula pendula L.), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.), as well as in the soil in which the trees grew, depending on their localization and hence the distribution of local pollution sources. The content of trace elements in needles of Scots pine, leaves of silver birch, and Norway maple and in bark of these trees depended on the location, tree species, and analyzed organ. The content of Fe, Mn, and Zn in needles, leaves, and bark of the examined tree species was significantly higher than that of the other elements. The highest average content of Fe and Mn was detected in leaves of Norway maple whereas the highest average content of Zn was found in silver birch leaves. The impact of such locations as the center of Olsztyn or roadside along Road 51 on the content of individual elements tended to be more pronounced than the influence of the other locations. The influence of the sampling sites on the content of trace elements in tree bark was less regular than the analogous effect in needles and leaves. Moreover, the relevant dependences were slightly different for Scots pine than for the other two tree species. The concentrations of heavy metals determined in the soil samples did not exceed the threshold values set in the Regulation of the Minister for the Environment, although the soil along Road 51 and in the center of Olsztyn typically had the highest content of these elements. There were also significant correlations between the content of some trace elements in soil and their accumulation in needles, leaves, and bark of trees.

Trace Element Concentrations in Tree Leaves and Lichen Collected Along a Metal Pollution Gradient Near Olkusz (Southern Poland)

“…Birch has been found to raise soil pH (Priha and Smolander 1999 ) and this may support soil microorganisms that protect the tree against metals contamination. Compared to other tree species, birch tends to accumulate Zn even in regions unpolluted or moderately polluted with metals (Kosiorek et al 2016 ). Since Zn is a microelement this means that in some doses it is beneficial for organisms, including plants (Kozlov et al 1995 ; Shahid et al 2017 ).…”

Response of Avena sativa L. and the soil microbiota to the contamination of soil with Shell diesel oil

“…In the plant material (aboveground part), following the mineralisation in concentrated H 2 SO 4 with hydrogen peroxide, the total nitrogen content was determined using the Kjeldahl method; the phosphorus content by the vanadium-molybdenum method; the potassium, calcium and sodium contents by the atomic emission spectroscopy method; and the magnesium content by the atomic absorption spectroscopy method (Sivitskaya and Wyszkowski 2013). Moreover, the contents of Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe and Co were determined using the flame atomic absorption spectroscopy method (Kosiorek et al 2016).…”

Pollution Assessment Based on Element Concentration of Tree Leaves and Topsoil in Ayutthaya Province, Thailand

“…Although several authors studied the atmospheric deposition regarding both the quantities and elemental composition of dust [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ], the comparisons among cities are not widespread, and finding the differences in a multivariate approach is rare. It is vital to reveal how the geochemical background, the source of pollution, and the investigated plant species can influence the distribution and cross-connections of heavy metals in different environments.…”