Element contents in leaves of four plant species (birch, mountain ash, fern and spruce) along anthropogenic and geogenic concentration gradients
- Author(s)
- Clemens Reimann, Arnold Arnoldussen, Rognvald Boyd, Tor Erik Finne, Friedrich Koller, Øystein Nordgulen, Peter Englmaier
- Abstract
Forty samples each of leaves of birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.), European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia (L.)) and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) as well as spruce needles (Picea abies (L.) Karsten) were collected along a 120 km south-north transect running through Norway's largest city, Oslo. Concentrations of 25 chemical elements (Ag, Au, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sr, Ti, and Zn) as well as loss on ignition for the 4 sample materials are reported. The decline of input of sea spray with distance from the coast, geology, pH and anthropogenic contamination all played a role for the observed element concentrations in the leaves. Although growing under exactly the same natural conditions each plant species displayed quite unique uptake characteristics. Plant-species dependency and individual differences in the reaction of the plant leaves to different element sources make the investigated species of very limited value as bioindicators of anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic contamination influences plant-leaf element content within a limited distance (∼ 20 km) from the source. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Lithospheric Research
- External organisation(s)
- Geological Survey of Norway, Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute
- Journal
- Science of the Total Environment
- Volume
- 377
- Pages
- 416-433
- No. of pages
- 18
- ISSN
- 0048-9697
- Publication date
- 2007
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 106030 Plant ecology
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/a55e3ad9-e8d7-43d8-9282-0726993fefd9