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Rare earth elements and landscape: Is there a relationship between them? – New evidence from Poland (Eastern Europe)
Trifolium pratense and the Heavy Metal Content in Various Urban Areas
Effective biomonitoring strategies are essential for identifying and assessing the sources and levels of contamination of heavy metal pollutants in urban areas, given their negative impacts on human health and the environment. This study aimed to assess the potential of common weed, Trifolium pratense as a bioindicator of heavy metal contamination in various land uses in urban areas, with a focus on Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Pb. The results have shown that Cr and Ni had high bioconcentration factor (BCF) values in most sites, in comparison with Cu, Cd and Pb. Contamination factor (CF) values varied across all sites. The industrial area and old town sites had the highest translocation factor (TF) values for Cr and Ni, indicating greater transport of these metals from roots to aerial parts of plants. Differences between heavy metals (HMs) according to land use were observed; especially, Pb and Cu were more concentrated in soils than other heavy metals in industrial areas. Overall, these findings suggest that Trifolium pratense is a promising bioindicator for heavy metal contamination in various land uses in urban areas, making it a potentially valuable tool for monitoring heavy metal pollution in cities of the northern hemisphere.
Seasonal variation of rare earth elements in Taraxacum officinale as an indicator of changes in urban pollution
Abstract Taraxacum officinale has been identified as a potential rare earth elements (REEs) accumulator, making it a promising bioindicator for urban environment. However, the influence of seasonal variation on the bioavailability, transport, and accumulation of REEs in plant tissues remains poorly understood. This knowledge gap is crucial, especially in the context of development of reliable bioindicators for urban pollution and managing urban ecosystems sustainably. The aim of this study was to evaluate seasonal changes in the content and distribution of Sc, Y and 14REEs in soils and dandelion roots and leaves from urban areas. Ten research sites typical for urbanised areas were designated and samples of soils and plants were collected in the spring and autumn season. The assessment of the level of studied elements combined with statistical analysis was performed. Variation in REEs accumulation in soil was found. Due to the lack of heavy industry in the city, the major source of REEs contamination in soils might be related to transportation and local agrotechnical and nutrition treatments. Our research on dandelion showed a decrease in REEs content in roots and leaves during autumn compared to spring. Slightly higher translocation efficiency was observed in autumn, possibly due to the plant’s age and tolerance mechanism.