Effect of Gender and Age on the Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Taxus baccata L. Needles in the City Center of Krakow (P
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Effect of Gender and Age on the Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Taxus baccata L. Needles in the City Center of Krakow (Poland) Marcin Zarek
&
Jarosław Lasota & Ewa Błońska
Received: 12 August 2020 / Accepted: 15 November 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the differences in heavy metal accumulation in yew (Taxus baccata L.) needles depending on gender and age. Trees growing in the same soil and forest conditions were selected for the study. The study was conducted in the botanical garden in the center of Krakow, and study plots were characterized by the same deposition of pollutants. Needles of yew and soil samples were collected for laboratory analysis. Heavy metal content and basic biochemical parameters were determined in needles samples. The study confirms the importance of gender and, to a greater extent, age of needles in the accumulation of heavy metals by yews growing in an urban agglomeration. On the basis of the results obtained, it can be concluded that male yew individuals have a high tolerance to heavy metal contamination and their high needle concentration. At the same time, female individuals, which are usually less tolerant to environmental stress, seem to have some physiological mechanisms protecting them from excessive heavy metal uptake from the soil. The accumulation of heavy metals in yew needles does not negatively affect the level of their biochemical parameters.
M. Zarek (*) Deprtment of Forest Ecosystem Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, Al. 29 Listopada 46, Krakow, Poland e-mail: [email protected] J. Lasota : E. Błońska Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture, Al. 29 Listopada 46, Krakow, Poland
Keywords Element content . Males and females . Urban area . Yew tree
1 Introduction For many years, strong air pollution has persisted in Poland mainly in Upper Silesia and other industrialized areas. Currently, air quality standards are exceeded in Poland in many cities, including Krakow. Urbanization and industrialization levels are subject to a constant increase, which results in the emission of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the atmosphere, thus becoming a threat to human health. Urbanization processes exacerbate environmental problems related to pollution in cities (Afanasyeva and Ayushina 2019; Parzych and Jonczak 2014; Sun et al. 2010). According to Gąsiorek et al. (2017), the present pollution emission within which the industrial and economic waste, vehicle exhaust, as well as coal combustion and large number of industrial pollution emitters at the area of Krakow can be treated as the complex origin of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Research by Wojas (2017) confirms that industrial emissions are very important for pollution in Krakow. Monitoring of environmental quality by means of biological material is widely used because it is a fairly simple way of obtaining information on heavy metal contamination (Kandziora-Ciupa et al. 2016). P
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