Ecophysiological Responses to Environmental Pollution of Selected Plant Species in an Industrial Urban Area

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the state of the environment in Sosnowiec (southern Poland) based on the ratio of air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and the determination of concentrations of selected metals in soil and plant material. The study was conducted in ten stands: five of them were identified as 'polluted' and five as 'clean' stands. The metal content was evaluated by the atomic absorption method. For APTI calculation, analysis of total chlorophyll concentration and relative water content, the pH of the extract from the leaves was used. Analysis of the bioaccumulation of metals in the leaves revealed excessive concentrations of Pb (32.4 mg kg -1 ) and Zn (129.78 mg kg) at the KWK (coal mine) and Las (forest) stands. Higher capacity accumulation of Pb and Fe was characteristic for Plantago lanceolata. The permitted content of Pb (762.6 mg kg -1 ) in the soil samples collected at the Cedler stand was exceeded. Elevated levels, higher than the permissible concentration of Cd, were documented in soil samples from most stands within the city. In soil samples collected at the Cedler stand, Cd concentration was almost 15 times higher than acceptable for soil (4 mg kg -1 ). Based on the scope of the APTI 4.4-9.42 index obtained for the studied species, they should be considered sensitive plants. All selected species can be used as bioindicators for environmental pollution.

Using Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata in environmental pollution research in an urban area of Southern Poland

“…The average pH for the Plantago major leaves was 5.21, and it was 4.98 for Plantago lanceolata (Table 3). The values of the leaf pH that were obtained were lower for both species than the results of a field study in Sosnowiec (Poland) (Skrynetska et al 2018). Krishnaveni et al (2013) also recorded a decrease in the leaf pH values at polluted sites.…”

“…After averaging the data that was obtained in the measurements, the concentrations of the elements in the washed samples can be ranked in the following descending order for Plantago lanceolata : Fe > Mn > Zn > Cd > Pb and for Plantago major : Fe > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cd as was also recorded for Plantago major in Sosnowiec (Skrynetska et al 2018). The order of the concentrations in the unwashed samples for both Plantago species was the same: Fe > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cd.…”

“…Soil pollution, particularly due to potentially toxic metal contamination, has been widely investigated by researchers around the world as one of the major environmental problems that can affect plant productivity, the environment and human health (Ross 1994; Alloway 1997; Kabata-Pendias and Pendias 2001; Kandziora-Ciupa et al 2016). Previous soil metal accumulation researches that have been conducted in the urban areas of Upper Silesia (Miasteczko Śląskie, Chorzów, Piekary Śląskie, Sosnowiec, Dąbrowa Górnicza) have also reported excessive concentrations of Pb, Cd and Zn especially in soil samples that had been collected from areas near metallurgical plants (Nadgórska-Socha et al 2013, 2016; Kandziora-Ciupa et al 2013; Dziubanek et al 2015; Skrynetska et al 2018). Most of these studies were based on the fractions of the extracted elements.…”

“…Plantago lanceolata and Plantago major are easy to recognize and are very common in urban environments and in the countryside. Previous studies have indicated that the Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata species contain significant levels of trace elements (Tinkov et al 2016; Nadgórska-Socha et al 2017; Skrynetska et al 2018).…”

Effects of different environmental pollutants on the anatomical features of roadside plants

“…Urbanization and Industrialization, regarded as the most common factors responsible for many negative impacts affecting the well-being of flora and fauna, as well as the environment as a whole. Moreover, the growing number of road vehicles is another major source of regional and global atmospheric pollution, increasing the concentrations of CO2 in the air and levels of matter in the air and soil (Skrynetska et al, 2018). The roadside vegetation are seriously vulnerable to environmental pollution and the effects of pollutants can easily be detected on plant structure.…”