Trace elements in wild plants of the Lower Kama national park

Abstract

Biogeochemical studies of plants and soil cover in specially protected natural areas are necessary for conducting background geochemical monitoring in order to determine the content of trace elements in plants of natural ecosystems and to establish the relationship between trace element composition and environmental factors. The atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine the content of trace elements Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb in wild herbaceous plants and the root layer of soil in the Nizhny Kama National Park (Kama valley and its tributaries). Species with a high content of Ni were found. High concentrations of Fe, Cr, Pb in the phytomass of mosses were revealed, which may indicate their aerogenic supply from nearby industrial enterprises. It was established that the soil cover of the national park within the Yelabuga region is characterized by an increased content of Mn and Co. The trace elements that are vigorously absorbed by plants, as well as species characterized by high biogeochemical activity have been identified – Aegopodium podagraria L., Fragaria vesca L., Paris quadrifolia L., Anemonoides ranunculoides L., Dicranum Hedw