Elsevier

Chemosphere

Volume 56, Issue 7, August 2004, Pages 685-696
Chemosphere

Accumulation of heavy metals in Typha angustifolia (L.) and Potamogeton pectinatus (L.) living in Sultan Marsh (Kayseri, Turkey)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2004.04.011Get rights and content

Abstract

Concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn and Cu) were measured in bottom sediments, water and Typha angustifolia and Potamogeton pectinatus in Sultan Marsh. Sultan Marsh is one of the largest and most important wetlands in Turkey, Middle East and Europe, embodying saline and fresh water ecosystems and providing a shelter for 426 bird species. The organs of T. angustifolia have a larger quantity of the measured elements than the P. pectinatus. Considerably higher contents of Cd were found rather than in helophytes (P. pectinatus) in submerged plant (=emergent, T. angustifolia) species. The percentage of Cd in plant tissues points to a certain degree of water pollution in Sultan Mash. Analyses of water, bottom sediments and plant samples indicated that the Marsh were polluted with Pb, Cd, and partly with Cu and Zn. All sampling sites in the study area basin are generally more or less polluted when compared with the control values. Strong positive correlation was found between concentrations of Pb in water and in plants. Ni and Pb were accumulated by plants at a higher rate from bottom sediments than from water. Leaves of T. angustifolia accumulated less heavy metal than the corresponding roots. There was a significant relationship between Cd concentration in samples of plants and water pH value. It has been found that the tissues of T. angustifolia accumulate more heavy metals than the tissues of P. pectinatus. Therefore, all plants can be used as a biological indicator while determining environmental pressures; however, T. angustifolia is proved more appropriate for such studies.

Introduction

The distribution and behaviour of many aquatic macrophytes are often correlated with water quality (Agami et al., 1976; Romero and Onaindia, 1995). Detecting environmental pollution by using biological materials as indicators is a cheap, reliable and simple alternative to the conventional sampling methods (Zurayk et al., 2001). A number of organisms such as mosses and periphyton, fish and vascular plants has been successfully used (Porvari, 1995).

Aquatic macrophytes may accumulate considerable amounts of heavy metals in their tissues (Kovács et al., 1984). Therefore, aquatic macrophytes were thus proposed as pollution-monitoring organisms (Greger and Kautsky, 1993; Zhulidov, 1996; Shine et al., 1998). Metal bioaccumulation depends upon numerous biotic and abiotic factors, such as temperature, pH and dissolved ions in water (Lewander et al., 1996; Demirezen, 2002).

Pesticides and fertilizers used in agricultural fields have been affecting the Marsh and its plant community. Knowledge of heavy metal concentrations in the environment near a Sultan Marsh is of great concern due to their serious effects on food chain and furthermore on animal and human health. This reedfield has been taken under protection through the International Ramsar Treaty. In this area, both fresh and salty water ecosystems coexist providing shelter for 426 bird species (Çevko, 1998). As it is on the migration route of birds and rich flora and fauna, it is contributing much to the tourism of Kayseri and environments.

Uptake and accumulation of elements by plants may follow two different paths, i.e., the root system and the foliar surface (Sawidis et al., 2001). Plant species have variety of capacity in removing and accumulating heavy metals. There are reports indicating that some species may accumulate specific heavy metals, such as the Spirodela polyrhiza for Zn (Markert, 1993).

In this study, two aquatic macrophytes Typha angustifolia and P. pectinatus and corresponding water and sediment samples were collected from Sultan Marsh and analysed for their heavy metal contents (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, Zn and Cu) in order to ascertain their indicator value and degree of contamination.

Section snippets

Description of study areas

The reedfield Sultan Marsh is located at the lowest part of the Develi plain and in the Yahyalı, the Develi and the Yeşilhisar triangle, of having a Mediterranean type of climate. This reedfield is situated in Central Anatolia (38°2230 latitude and 38°1500 longitude). In this study, 13 stations were selected in the Marsh (Fig. 1). Samples of plants, sediments and water were collected during June 2001–May 2002. The cattail (T. angustifolia) is dominant macrophyte species in the area.

Results and discussion

This study shows that aquatic macrophytes and sediments can well present further information about the metal content of their aquatic environment. Plant and sediment analyses revealed that the accumulation is considerably the consequence of a kind of elements (Demirezen, 2002).

Cadmium is a toxic element and exists along with Zn in nature. The most important sources that cause Cd pollution are metal industry, plastics, mailing home tools, fossil fuels of vehicles and sewers.

Mean Cd

Conclusion

  • (1)

    Water, sediment and plants in Sultan Marsh and its environs are mainly polluted with Pb, Cd and Cr.

  • (2)

    A positive correlation was found out between concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cr in plants and these heavy metals in their environment.

  • (3)

    The results prove that leaves of T. angustifolia are less suitable for metal accumulation than roots. The probable reason for this is their short life.

  • (4)

    Cd, Zn and Ni are accumulated by plants in the Sultan Marsh at a higher rate from the sediments.

Acknowledgements

This work was realized thanks to the financial support of the DPT (T.R. Prime Ministry, The State Planning Organization).

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