Comparison of element concentrations in fir and rhododendron leaves and twigs along an altitudinal gradient

Abstract

Concentrations of 23 elements (Ca, K, Mg, P, Al, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Zn, Ag, Ba, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Pb, Sb, Th, Tl, and V) in leaf and twig samples of a fir (Abies fabri) and a rhododendron (Rhododendron williamsianum) collected along an altitudinal gradient on Mount Gongga, China, are reported in the present study. Most of the macronutrients (K and P), micronutrients (Fe, Zn, Cu, Na, Ni, Mo, and Al), and trace elements (Pb, Tl, Ag, Cd, Ba, Co, V, Be, and Cr) are significantly enriched in fir when compared to rhododendron; however, Ca, Mg, Mn, Ba, and Cd are more enriched in rhododendron than in fir. Most of the elements in both plants are more significantly enriched in twigs than in leaves. The relationship between element concentration in plants and altitudinal gradient is nonlinear. Altitudes of 3,200 and 3,400 m are turning points for fir and rhododendron growth, respectively. Concentrations of all trace elements in the two plants along the altitudinal gradient are well below the toxic level in plants. No known industrial sources of the elements investigated exist in the Mount Gongga area, China. Element concentrations in the present study are higher than those found in mosses collected from the same area, indicating that the area is not contaminated. The element concentrations that we observed in plant samples were due to soil uptake. The pronounced differences between the two species are due to the different uptake characteristics of fir and rhododendron.

Altitudinal Gradient of Microbial Biomass Phosphorus and Its Relationship with Microbial Biomass Carbon, Nitrogen, and Rhizosphere Soil Phosphorus on the Eastern Slope of Gongga Mountain, SW China

“…At these sites, the P concentrations in the coniferous forests were significantly enriched relative to the P concentrations in the deciduous forests. For example, the mean P concentration in fir twigs was 1258 mg kg −1 and the mean P concentration in one type of Rhododendron was only 705 mg kg −1 [46]. However, the lowest MBP (51.19 µg g −1 ) occurred in the AM zone (4221 m asl), which was attributed to the cold conditions and sparse vegetation in this zone.…”

Can silver and other heavy metal concentrations in leaves be used in order to identify tree root intrusion into sewage systems and storm-water drains?

“…the needles contained 0.01 µg g −1 dw (Silkina & Vinokurova, 2009). In Abies fabri growing on acid soils along an altitudinal gradient, the leaf concentration of silver was 0.015 µg g −1 dw (Sun et al, 2011), indicating that soil pH is an important factor for silver uptake. Hyper-accumulating native Turkish tree species (Euphorbia macroclada, Verbascum cheiranthifolium Boiss, and Astragalus gummife) were shown to have higher twig and root concentrations of silver, up to 0.5 µg g −1 biomass (Sagiroglu et al, 2006).…”

Vegetation and Cold Trapping Modulating Elevation-dependent Distribution of Trace Metals in Soils of a High Mountain in Eastern Tibetan Plateau

“…on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga 41 . Meanwhile, Cu and Zn did not exhibit marked correlation with SOC ( Fig.…”