Regression Models to Estimate Accumulation Capability of Six Metals by Two Macrophytes, Typha domingensis and Typha elephantina, Grown in an Arid Climate in the Mountainous Region of Taif, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In this study, we explored the capacity for two promising macrophytes, Typha domingensis and Typha elephantina, to be used for the surveillance of contamination by six metals, i.e., Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, in the mountainous area of Taif City in Saudi Arabia. Regression models were generated in order to forecast the metal concentrations within the plants’ organs, i.e., the leaves, flowers, peduncles, rhizomes, and roots. The sediment mean values for pH and the six metals varied amongst the sampling locations for the respective macrophytes, indicating that similar life forms fail to indicate equivalent concentrations. For instance, dissimilar concentrations of the metals under investigation were observed within the organs of the two rooted macrophytes. The research demonstrated that the segregation of metals is a regular event in all the investigated species in which the metal concentrations vary amongst the different plant constituent types. In the current study, T. domingensis and T. elephantina varied in their capacity to absorb specific metals; the bioaccumulation of metals was greater within T. domingensis. The relationships between the observed and model-estimated metal levels, in combination with high R2 and modest mean averaged errors, offered an appraisal of the goodness of fit of most of the generated models. The t-tests revealed no variations between the observed and model-estimated concentrations of the six metals under investigation within the organs of the two macrophytes, which emphasised the precision of the models. These models offer the ability to perform hazard appraisals within ecosystems and to determine the reference criteria for sediment metal concentration. Lastly, T. domingensis and T. elephantina exhibit the potential for bioaccumulation for the alleviation of contamination from metals.