Strategies of heavy metal uptake by three Armeria species growing on different geological substrates in Serbia

Abstract

This study surveyed three species of the genus Armeria Willd. from five ultramafic outcrops, two non-ultramafic (schist) soils, and one tailing heap of an abandoned iron-copper mine from Serbia. Similarities and differences among the three Armeria species growing on different geological substrates in the ability to control uptake and translocate nine metals were examined. Chemical characteristics of the soil and plant samples (concentrations of PO KO, Ca, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Cd, and Pb) are presented. In order to assess accumulative potential of these three Armeria species, biological concentration, accumulation, as well as translocation factors were used. Three investigated Armeria species growing on eight different localities showed large differences in heavy metal uptake, translocation, and accumulation. The differences were present among the plant samples of the same species and even more among three different Armeria species and were primarily the result of the different contents of available heavy metals in the investigated soils. Additionally, differences might be the consequence of diverse responses and possible presence of supplementary resistance mechanisms in the plants from the ultramafic soils. None of the three Armeria species showed shoot hyperaccumulative potential for any of the investigated heavy metals and they could be considered as root accumulators, considering their potential to accumulate medium to large amounts of Zn (BCF up to 134), Cr (BCF up to 148), and Cd (BCF up to 9) in their roots.

Heavy metal tolerance of Pontechium maculatum (Boraginaceae) from several ultramafic localities in Serbia

“…Similar values were observed by Tumi et al (2012), but there are also different results indicating a percentage of availability of up to 10 (Đurović et al 2016). Total and available Cu concentrations were quite uniform among soil samples, and most of them were close to those obtained by Jakovljević et al (2015) and Tomović et al (2018). Concentrations of Co, Cd and Pb were also similar to those obtained by numerous investigators in studies of ultramafic substrates on the Balkan Peninsula (Bani et al 2010;Tumi et al 2012;Tomović et al 2013Tomović et al , 2018Đurović et al 2016).…”

“…However, in our samples these concentrations are even higher than those found by numerous authors in ultramafic substrates of the Balkan Peninsula (Pavlova & Karadjova 2013;Jakovljević et al 2015;Đurović et al 2016;Matko-Stamenković et al 2017;Tomović et al 2018). The amounts of manganese and nickel correspond with those found on the same type of substrata (Reeves et al 2009;Bani et al 2010;Tumi et al 2012;Tomović et al 2018), particularly regarding their total concentrations. However, the content of available Mn in our soil samples was considerable higher, while that of available Ni was in the range of the values obtained in similar studies, with somewhat higher concentrations in the sample from Mt.…”

“…Plant analysis. Although high, the Fe concentrations in root and shoot samples of Pontechium maculatum fall in the range of concentrations obtained in other plant samples from ultramafic substrates on the Balkan Peninsula (Đurović et al 2016;Tomović et al 2018). The samples from Mts.…”

“…Zlatibor. Similarly elevated values from the same area were also determined by Tomović et al (2018) in their analysis of hyperaccumulation in three Armeria species from Serbia. The obtained Zn concentrations were in the range of soil samples under Silene taxa and several species from the family Brassicaceae (Tomović et al 2013;Đurović et al 2016).…”

“…As in the case of many trace metals, the key factor in determining Zn solubility and mobility is pH: they increase with decrease of pH (Meers et al 2006). Elevated Cr concen-trations represent a constitutive ultramafic feature, and the obtained amounts are in the range of values reported by several authors in samples from Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina (Tomović et al 2013(Tomović et al , 2018Matko-Stamenković et al 2017). At the same time, these concentrations are lower than those determined by Bani et al (2010), also in countries on the Balkan Peninsula (Albania, Greece and Bulgaria).…”