Heavy metal accumulation characteristics of Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis) growing in a lead-zinc spoil heap, Yunnan, south-western China

doi:10.3832/ifor1082-007

Heavy metal accumulation characteristics of Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis) growing in a lead-zinc spoil heap, Yunnan, south-western China

Yuebo Jing^(1-2), Hongliang Cui⁽¹⁾, Tao Li⁽¹⁾, Zhiwei Zhao⁽¹⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 7, Issue 4, Pages 204-208 (2014)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor1082-007
Published: Feb 27, 2014 - Copyright © 2014 SISEF

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A fast-growing alder species native to the eastern Himalayas, Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis), has recently received considerable attention in the restoration of contaminated lands due to its significant economic benefits and ecological functions. The bioaccumulation characteristics and phytoremediation potential of naturally regenerated Nepalese alder were evaluated in a lead-zinc spoil heap located in Lancang county, Yunnan province, south-western China. Results showed that bioaccumulation factors (BFs) of A. nepalensis for Zn and Pb were always >1 in slightly contaminated soils (extractable Zn, Pb of 4.2-17.9 and 3.4-13.1 mg kg^-1, respectively) and >1 for Cd in contaminated soils (extractable Cd 0.3- 6.8 mg kg^-1). By contrast, translocation factors (TFs) for Zn were <1 in all sampling plots, but >1 for Pb in soil slightly contaminated by 13.1 mg kg^-1 extractable Pb and >1 for Cd in contaminated soils (extractable Cd 2.6- 6.8 mg kg^-1). Significant positive correlations were found between heavy metals (HMs) in roots and extractable HMs in soils (p<0.01) and between HMs in shoots and extractable HMs in soils (p<0.05) except for Cd. Based on the accumulation capacity revealed in this study, we suggest that A.nepalensis is a promising tree species for phytostabilization of zinc and lead in soils slightly contaminated with Zn and Pb and for phytoextraction of cadmium in Cd-polluted soil.

Keywords

Phytoremediation, Nepalese Alder, Alnus nepalensis, Metal Contamination, Bioaccumulation Factor, Translocation Factor

Authors’ address

(1)

Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization for Bioresources and Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity in Southwest China, Ministry of Education, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091 Yunnan (China)

(2)

Yunnan Academy of Forestry, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan (China)

Corresponding author

Zhiwei Zhao
zhaozhw@ynu.edu.cnl.com

Citation

Jing Y, Cui H, Li T, Zhao Z (2014). Heavy metal accumulation characteristics of Nepalese alder (Alnus nepalensis) growing in a lead-zinc spoil heap, Yunnan, south-western China. iForest 7: 204-208. - doi: 10.3832/ifor1082-007

Academic Editor

Elena Paoletti

Paper history

Received: Jul 20, 2013
Accepted: Nov 20, 2013

First online: Feb 27, 2014
Publication Date: Aug 01, 2014
Publication Time: 3.30 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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