Effect of urbanisation on soil and plant pollution in province of Valencia, Spain

Abstract

The accumulation of the toxic metals can result in the degradation of neighboring ecosystems and reducing their value to humans in terms of aesthetic properties and utility. Therefore, the aim of our research was to investigate the effect of urbanization on metal levels in soil samples and Citrus sp. tree leaves along an urbanization (rural, periurban and urban) in Valencia (Spain). There were significant differences for the content of clay, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic matter (SOM), concentration of Ca and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). A significant difference was not found in the case of elemental concentration of soil. There were significant differences for the concentration of Cu on Citrus sp. leaves, only. Based on our findings Valencia did not exhibit a significant relationship between the element concentrations and the urban gradient except for the case of copper in the leaf samples. The find no difference in the soil indicate the homogenous nature of the Valencia soil.