Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in needles and bark of Pinus sylvestris L. associated with Baltic Coastal Zone
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Pomeranian University in Słupsk
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Needles and bark of P. sylvestris are sensitive indicators of the environment quality, used in bioindication studies. On the Baltic Sea Coast, P. sylvestris serves a protective function, stabilizes dunes and shields the land against strong winds. At the same time, the tree stand is exposed to pollutants blown from both the sea and the land. The aim of the study was to qualitatively assess the southern part of the Baltic Sea coast, within the administrative boundaries of Darłowo, Ustka and Rowy, in terms of the content of Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Fe and Pb in the topsoil and in the needles and bark of P. sylvestris. The obtained values of the Pollution Load Index were low (PLI≤1), which indicates the lack of soil contamination in the studied part of the Coast with the analysed heavy metals. Studies on needles and bark showed slightly increased Ni content in Darłowo, Ustka and Rowy and Pb in Rowy, which in the absence of soil contamination indicates low content of this metal transported by air with dry and wet deposition. The Metal Accumulation Index (MAI) values calculated for the bark showed persistent long-term low air pollution in Darłowo (MAI=3.29), Rowy (MAI=3.09) and Ustka (MAI=2.07). These values are crucial for the analysis and assessment of the ecological risk of air pollution by heavy metals.