POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(Pol. J. Ecol.)

51

3

377-383

2003

 short research contribution

 

 

Enrichment ratios of elements in selected plant species from black coal mine dumps in Lower Silesia (Poland)

 

Aleksandra SAMECKA-CYMERMAN1, Alexius J. KEMPERS2

 

1Department of Ecology and Nature Protection, Wroc³aw University, Kanonia 6/8, 50-328 Wroc³aw, Poland, e-mail: sameckaa@biol.uni.wroc.pl

2Department of Aquatic Ecology and Biogeology, University of Nijmegen, Toernooiveld, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands

 

Abstract: 

            Concentration of the metals Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, Zn and V as well as N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe and S were measured in soils and in two tree species (leaves of Betula pendula and Salix caprea and two herbs (whole aboveground parts of Solidago canadensis and Tanacetum vulgare) sampled from dumps in the Wa³brzych coal mine area (Lower Silesia, SW Poland). These plants, as used to evaluate the distribution of elements in the examined dumps, contained elevated levels of Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Especially the highest levels of Mn in Betula pendula seriously exceed background values. Betula pendula characterized also the highest enrichment ratio for Mn, Salix caprea for Ni and Sr and Tanacetum vulgare for Cu.

Test-t indicated that from both herbs Tanacetum vulgare accumulated much more K, N, S and Zn than Solidago canadensis and of both trees Salix caprea accumulated significantly more Cd, Cu, K and Ca than Betula pendula, while this last species accumulated significantly more Fe and Mn than Salix caprea.

A post hoc LSD test indicated that all examined plants had similar enrichment ratios for Al, Pb and V.

 

Key words: Betula pendula, Salix caprea, Solidago canadensis, Tanacetum vulgare, heavy metals