Effects of a soil organic amendment on metal allocation of trees for the phytomanagement of mining-impacted soils

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health 2021-04, Vol.43 (4), p.1355-1366
• Main Authors: Conesa, Héctor M., Párraga-Aguado, Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biodegradation, Environmental; Biomass; Branches; Cadmium; Carbon Isotopes - analysis; Climate; Compartments; Composts; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Evergreen trees; Geochemistry; Heavy metals; Lead; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals - analysis; Metals - pharmacokinetics; Mining; Organic soils; Original Paper; Oxygen Isotopes - analysis; Pinus - metabolism; Pinus halepensis; Plant biomass; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Leaves - metabolism; Plant Roots - chemistry; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plant species; Plant Stems - chemistry; Plant Stems - metabolism; Public Health; Semiarid climates; Shoots; Soil; Soil - chemistry; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics; Soil pollution; Soil Science & Conservation; Soils; Spain; Speciation; Species; Substrates; Terrestrial Pollution; Tissue Distribution; Tracheophyta - metabolism; Translocation; Transpiration; Trees; Trees - metabolism; Zinc
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-019-00479-0

The suitable application of phytomanagement by phytostabilisation using plant tree species in metal-polluted soils requires an assessment of the fate of metals in biological tree compartments. The goal of this work was to evaluate the effect of an urban compost amendment on metal allocation in two evergreen tree species ( Pinus halepensis and Tetraclinis articulata ) growing in a metal-enriched polluted substrate. A comprehensive characterisation of edaphic parameters and metal speciation was carried out. Plant analyses included metal concentrations in different tree compartments: roots, stems, branches and leaves. The amendment caused a significant increase in plant biomass for both trees, although T. articulata produced 2.5 times more biomass than P. halepensis . The amendment alleviated P deficiency in P. halepensis . This did not occur for the N deficiency detected in T. articulata . The latter showed no effect of the amendment in the allocation of metals, being most of them restricted at the root compartment (> 50%). For P. halepensis, similar behaviour occurred for Cu, Pb and Zn. However, for Cd, the amendment caused its redistribution into pine shoots, probably due to its transport associated with the increased transpiration. Results indicated that T. articulata may be a promising tree species to be used in phytomanagement programs under semiarid climates due to its low metal translocation into shoots and remarkable biomass production under amendment conditions.