Bioaccumulation and translocation of Cu, Cd, Zn, and As in four native tree and shrub species growing on soils contaminated by an abandoned gold mine

HEREDIA BELEN; RAÚL TAPIA; YOUNG, BRIAN JONATHAN; ROQUEIRO, GONZALO

Valdivia

Congreso; SETAC Latin America 14th Biennial Meeting; 2021

SETAC

Plants are known to have the ability to bioaccumulate metal(loid)s in tissues andtranslocate them from roots to aerial biomass. Native plants grow in soil contaminatedwith mining waste in the town of La Planta (Caucete, San Juan, Argentina). Theobjective of this study was to evaluate the bioaccumulation and translocation capacityof Cu, Cd, Zn and As in Prosopis flexuosa (Pf), Larrea cuneifolia (Lc), Bulnesia retama(Br), and Plectrocarpa tetracantha (Pt) that grow in contaminated soil. Organ samples(leaf, branches, stem, bark and root) of 3 plants per species (n=12) were collected.Rhizospheric soil samples around each tree and shrub were taken from the first 20 cmof depth (n=12). Concentrations of metal(loid)s in organs and soil were determined.Samples were digested with a combination of HNO 3 , H 2 O 2 and HF, and quantificationswere made using ICP-MS. Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) and Translocation Factor(TF) were calculated. Results showed that the most concentrated metal(loid)s in Lc, Pfand Br were Cu and Zn, and in Pt were Zn, Cu and As (pLc>Pt>Br for Cu, Pf>Pt>Lc>Br for Zn, and only Pt was effective for Cd.Bioaccumulation capacity of Cu, Cd, Zn and As found in the native plants studied inthis work, generates baseline information for the implementation of phytoremediationstrategies. These species present anatomical, morphological and structural adaptationsthat allow them to survive adverse climatic conditions that characterize arid and semi-arid environments. This would avoid the use of exotic species that could generatedisturbances in the polluted environment and a higher economic cost.