Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn concentrations in bark of different tree species as indicator of atmospheric pollution

Abstract

Quality of urban air is one of the most challenging environmental problems in the 21st century. The use of higher plants, especially different parts of trees, for air monitoring purposes is becoming more and more widespread. In this study, the bark of Acer platanoides L., Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Betula pendula Roth was examined in order to evaluate their ability for biomonitoring purposes in the three urban municipalities in Belgrade city which is affected by different industrial activities and traffic. The concentration of Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn were measured using ICP-OES. The results obtained in this study indicate the regularity in the spatial distribution of the examined elements, ie the highest concentrations were measured in the tree bark from the park in the municipality of Palilula. It was established that the bark of A. platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus retain higher concentration of Cu, Pb and Mn in relation to the bark of B. pendula, but that the accumulation potential of examined species depends not only on the characteristics of the bark, but also on specific habitat conditions. The bark of B. pendula showed good potential for Zn accumulation. Based on the obtained data, it can be concluded that the bark of the examined species can be used as indicator of long-term air pollution, whereby the bark of A. platanoides and A. pseudoplatanus were more efficient as indicators of Cu, Mn and Pb accumulation, and the bark of B. pendula as an indicator of Zn. The use of different parts of plants for the purpose of biomonitoring can reach its full potential in areas where there is no developed network of monitoring stations for air quality.