Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Metals in Plants of Alpine Ecosystems of Mt. Madra by Positive Matrix Factorization

UĞULU İ., Sahin I., Khan Z. I., Akcicek E.

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol.113, no.3, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 113 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s00128-024-03941-7
  • Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, PASCAL, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Aqualine, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, EMBASE, Environment Index, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Greenfile, INSPEC, Pollution Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Veterinary Science Database, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Keywords: Biomonitoring, Heavy metals, ICP-OES, Plants
  • Uşak University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In this study, the concentrations of cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in plants sampled from Mt. Madra were investigated. Furthermore, the distribution characteristics and source identification of potentially toxic metals were investigated with the application of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modelling. Samples of 26 different plant species were taken from Mt. Madra at elevations ranging from 177 to 1347 m using the multi-point sampling approach. The metal quantities measured by ICP-OES are the following sequences (mean ± SD) (mg/kg): Fe (974.96 ± 29.6) > Mn (111.81 ± 2.6) > Zn (27.28 ± 0.2) > Ni (2.17 ± 0.03) > Pb (0.77 ± 0.01) > Cd (0.12 ± 0.01). According to the plant samples in which the highest values were determined, the metals are as follows: Cd (Lathyrus laxiflorus, 0.401 mg/kg), Fe (Ajuga orientalis, 7621.207 mg/kg), Mn (Castanea sativa, 724.927 mg/kg), Ni (Prunella laciniata, 6.947 mg/kg), Pb (Crataegus stevenii, 3.955 mg/kg) and Zn (Prunella laciniata, 50.802 mg/kg). The results of the PMF model showed that Cd had an atmospheric transport factor originated and transported from industrial activites, Ni had a substrate factor, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn were influenced by different anthropogenic factors.