The role of biogeochemical barriers in protecting aquatic ecosystems against pollution in agricultural environment

Abstract

<jats:p>This review discusses the importance of ecotones with high plant diversity which are highly effective in retaining pollutants and waste. Biogeochemical barriers play a vital role in eliminating biogenic pollutants, pesticides and heavy metals. Belts of rush plants and meadow vegetation considerably expand the accumulation capacity of water bodies and watercourses. The mechanisms responsible for the protective role of biogeochemical barriers involve various processes such as sorption, sedimentation, denitrification and assimilation, which require the coexistence of plants and microorganisms in aquatic ecosystems. Buffer barriers were presented as one of the ecohydrology tools in agricultural landscapes.</jats:p>

Potential of Shrubs, Shore Vegetation and Macrophytes of a Lake to Function as a Phytogeochemical Barrier against Biogenic Substances of Various Origin

“…Transitional zones between different types of ecosystems (ecotones) with considerable species diversity and diversity of life forms of plants constitute a perfect biogeochemical barrier for different types of natural and anthropogenic pollutants [15,23,27,[29][30][31]59,60].…”

“…In the case of areas with water ecosystems, ecotones are frequently treated as so-called buffer zones that effectively provide physical, chemical and biological protection to water bodies or streams against natural and anthropogenic pollutants from surface and subsurface runoff [31,61]. Biogenic substances are retained, absorbed, abiotically adsorbed, consumed or biologically transformed by plants and micro-organisms [62].…”

“…The rest is physically and chemically bound by other components of a given ecosystem, e.g., through accumulation in the near-surface soil layer [63]. Flora additionally develop an interactive system with soil and the micro-organic edaphon (biofilm) that stimulates many biochemical processes [15,28,29,31,60]. In the case of shores of water bodies, plant buffer zones additionally stabilise the shoreline, preventing water erosion of the shores.…”

“…In the case of shores of water bodies, plant buffer zones additionally stabilise the shoreline, preventing water erosion of the shores. They reduce runoffs and improve the structure of soils [31,[64][65][66].…”

“…It is the last barrier capable of capturing biogenic substances of various origin generated from different land uses in the lake catchment, and is described as the phytogeochemical barrier. The majority of papers discussing the issue of biogeochemical barriers focus on the role of waterholes or field tree stands in the development of the balance of biogenic substances in the agricultural landscape [15,[23][24][25][26][27], and to a somewhat lower degree typical water ecosystems [28][29][30][31]. Nonetheless, the botanical state of the flora adjacent to the shore and littoral vegetation communities, biocoenotic transformations and anthropogenic conditions in riparian buffer zones can provide preliminary information on environmental pollutants entering water ecosystems.…”