Investigation of water-soil-plant relationships based on hazardous and macro-micro element concentrations on Orontes River, Türkiye

Abstract

Arundo donax and Phragmites australis were examined in 4 different periods (June and October for 2 years), heavy metal and mineral element accumulations in plants were evaluated, and water-soil-plant relationships were revealed. Element distributions, bioaccumulation factors (BAF) and translocation factors (TF) in different parts of the investigated plant species were also determined. BAFs of elements calculated by using the concentration values in underground parts and sediment samples were between 1.02 and 4.96. While the highest TF was determined as 8.07 for Zn between washed leaf and stem in A. donax, the lowest TF was determined as 0.05 for Fe between stem and underground part. Corresponding highest and lowest TFs for P. australis were 11.80 for Cu between washed leaf and stem, and 0.02 for Fe between stem and underground part, respectively. The results were supported by MANOVA statistical analyzes. Additionally, the macro-micro elements and heavy metal accumulation levels in the parts of the Orontes River ecosystem were significantly higher in the fall periods compared to the spring periods. Our research revealed that the versatile accumulation properties and high accumulation ability of A. donax for Cd, Cr, and Ni and of P. australis for Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn.

NOVELTY STATEMENT

The Orontes River passes through the regions of three different countries with high population density and developed economies. This study presents the current state of the relationship between the element types and their concentrations in the sediments in the Orontes River ecosystem and the ecophysiological parameters of the river. In this study, the focus was on the Türkiye-Hatay region of the Orontes River, the water-soil-plant relationship in this region was revealed in detail, and valuable data were compiled for researchers who will conduct research on the river ecophysiology.

Keywords:

• Common and Giant reed
• hazardous levels
• heavy metals
• helophytes
• nutritional elements

Acknowledgment

This study representing the preliminary results of the doctoral dissertation by IE YALCIN, was written within the scope of Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Natural and Applied Sciences, Biology PhD Program. Authors wish to thank Bahcesehir University – Photonics&Nano Devices Research Laboratory, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University – MARGEM and Tekirdag Namık Kemal University – NABILTEM laboratories and their staff for the technical support.

Informed consent

This manuscript did not involve human or animal participants; therefore informed consent was not collected.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).