Concentration of chemical elements in Carpathian snowbell (Soldanella carpatica), Javorová Valley, the Tatra Mountains
Abstract
This study deals with the investigation of concentrations of biogenic and potentially toxic chemical elements in a Western Carpathian, alpine endemic species - the Carpathian snowbell (Soldanella carpatica) - which was collected for two years in the Javorová Valley in the High Tatras. High mountain plants can be an indicator of environmental pollution and the distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere, as high mountain ranges are often a confluence for pollutants accumulated and transported in the atmosphere. To understand the functioning of pollutant uptake and distribution in the selected species, S. carpatica, an understanding of nutrient uptake and accumulation is also necessary, as both types of chemical elements usually interact with each other, either in their distribution in the environment or directly in their uptake by plants. We found that biogenic elements in S. carpatica are distributed and accumulated fairly evenly in all plant organs, whereas potential pollutants are accumulated mainly in the root and sometimes to a lesser extent in the stem. Changes in the concentrations of chemical elements in S. carpatica were heavily influenced by changes in location and altitude as well as by seasonal changes, contrarily to biogenic elements and potential pollutants.
© PRUNELLA Publishers
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, photocopying, elctronic, recording, etc. without the prior written permission of the publisher, PRUNELLA Publishers - RNDr. Marián Janiga, CSc., Vavra Šrobára 1524/6, 03401 Ružomberok, Slovakia, IČO: 30 525 764. Permission requests for creating new collective works, for resale, for advertising or promotional purposes, or for general distribution, should be addressed to the publisher as mentioned in the Slovak Copyright Law. Free submission of an article for publication entails the author(s) irrevocable authorization of the publisher to collect any sums or considerations for copying or reproduction payable by third parties, as mentioned in the Slovak Copyright Law. EV 3492/09.
