Toxic elements and energy accumulation in topsoil and plants of spruce ecosystems

Margita Kuklová, Helena Hniličková, František Hnilička, Ivica Pivková and Ján Kukla
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Margita Kuklová: Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
Helena Hniličková: Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
František Hnilička: Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Ivica Pivková: Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
Ján Kukla: Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovak Republic

Plant, Soil and Environment, 2017, vol. 63, issue 9, 402-408

Abstract: The objective of this research was to evaluate trends and relationships of energy and toxic elements accumulation in A-horizon (the depth of 0-5 cm) of soils and in selected plants of the hemioligotrophic (Dystric Cambisols) and oligotrophic (Skeletic-Rustic Podzols) spruce ecosystems situated along transect (750-1110 m a.s.l.) in the NP Slovenský raj (Eastern Slovakia). The results showed that EU limit values of risk elements in agricultural soils were exceeded for Cu and Cd at the altitude of 750-760 m a.s.l., and in case of Cd also above 1000 m a.s.l. Relationship between energy and toxic elements in soils revealed that with an increasing amount of energy, contents of Zn and Cu significantly declined with altitude (r > -0.5 or r > -0.9). The background value of Cu was exceeded in all plants, that of Zn for Dryopteris filix-mas and Rubus idaeus. Furthermore, excessive accumulation of Cd was revealed by all plants. Cu contents in soils were dominant in determining Cu uptake for Vaccinium myrtillus (r > 0.5); Zn and Cd for V. myrtillus (r > 0.6), D. filix-mas (r > 0.5 or r > 0.8) and Fagus sylvatica (r > -0.8 or r > -0.5); Zn also for R. idaeus species (r > 0.4). The soil-plant transfer coefficients higher than 1 hinted R. idaeus on the plots at the altitude of 960 m a.s.l. (Cd 1.1, Cu 1.2, Zn 3.1), which appears as an excellent native indicator of forest ecosystem contamination.

Keywords: forest stands; phytomass; toxicity; microelement; calorific value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:63:y:2017:i:9:id:364-2017-pse

DOI: 10.17221/364/2017-PSE

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