Mercury uptake by halophytes in response to a long-term contamination in coastal wetland salt marshes (northern Adriatic Sea)

Flooding and Soil Properties Control Plant Intra- and Interspecific Interactions in Salt Marshes

The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) states that plant-plant interactions shift from competition to facilitation in increasing stress conditions. In salt marshes, edaphic properties can weaken the application of the SGH by amplifying the intensity of flooding and controlling plant zonation. We identified facilitative and competitive interactions along flooding gradients and tested the role of edaphic properties in exacerbating stress and shaping plant-plant interactions. Morphological traits of two target halophytes (Limonium narbonense and Sarcocornia fruticosa), flooding intensity, soil texture and soil organic C were recorded. The relative plant fitness index was assessed for the two species based on the relative growth in plurispecific rather than monospecific plant communities. Plant fitness increased with increasing stress supporting the SGH. L. narbonense showed larger fitness in plurispecific stands whereas S. fruticosa performed better in conspecific stands. Significant intra- or interspecific interactions were observed along the stress gradient defined by the combination of flooding and clay content in soil. When considering the limited soil organic C as stressor, soil properties were more important than flooding in defining plant-plant interactions. We highlight the need for future improvements of the SGH approach by including edaphic stressors in the model and their possible interactions with the main abiotic drivers of zonation.

Evaluation of mercury bioavailability to vegetables in the vicinity of cinnabar mine

Knowledge of the concentration of the bioavailable forms of mercury in the soil is necessary, especially, if these soils contain above-limit total mercury concentrations. The bioavailability of mercury in soil samples collected from the vicinity of abandoned cinnabar mines was evaluated using diffusive gradients in the thin films technique (DGT) and mercury phytoaccumulation by vegetables (lettuce, spinach, radish, beetroot, carrot, and green peas). Mercury was accumulated primarily in roots of vegetables. The phytoaccumulation of mercury into edible plant parts was site-specific as well as vegetable species-specific. The mercury concentration in edible parts decreased in the order: spinach leaf ≥ lettuce leaf ≥ carrot storage root ≥ beetroot storage root > radish storage root > pea legume. The translocation index as well as the target hazard quotient indicate the possible usability of soils from the vicinity of abandoned cinnabar mines for planting pod vegetables (peas). A strong positive correlation (r = 0.75 to 0.92, n > 30, p < 0.05) was observed between mercury concentration in secondary roots, the storage roots, leaves of vegetables and the flux of mercury from soil to the DGT units, and the effective concentration of mercury in soil solutions.

Onshore mud volcanoes as a geological source of mercury: Case study from the Kerch Peninsula, Caucasus continental collision zone

Three mud volcanoes (MVs) in the Kerch Peninsula were studied as a geological source of mercury. The study focused on total mercury (THg) concentrations in MV waters, mud masses and plants colonizing MV areas; gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) in the atmosphere above MVs; and sulfide mercury (HgS) and HgCl₂ species in representative samples of mud masses. THg concentrations in the illite-smectite mud masses ranged from 38 to 920 ng/g. They contained up to 70% of total mercury in sulfide form (in pyrite and cinnabar), but lacked HgCl₂. THg values in MV waters of HCO₃-Cl/Na- and/or Cl-HCO₃/Na-types with рН = 7.4-9.5 mostly fell in a range of 79-440 ng/L, but rarely exceeded 600 ng/L, being comparable with those for geothermal systems. Another issue of interest was the distribution of THg in below- and above-ground parts of halophyte plant Limonium caspium. THg was incorporated into the plant roots, leaves and flowers; the roots exhibited higher concentrations of THg relative to the other organs. The Hg bioaccumulation factor ranged from 0.06 to 0.76. GEM concentrations measured over large bubbling MV pools and newly formed cracks showed values (50 to 520 ng·m^-3) higher than background values (≤3 ng·m^-3) associated with pristine test sites and background values measured within three MV areas of the Kerch peninsula that is slightly higher than background concentration for the Northern Hemisphere. Maximum GEM contents were comparable with the values found in geothermal and magmatic volcanic provinces.

Spatial Distribution and Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations over a Contaminated Coastal Lagoon (Northern Adriatic, Italy)

The Marano and Grado Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea) has been affected by mercury (Hg) contamination coming from two sources, mining activity and discharges from a chlor-alkali plant (CAP). Sediments and water contamination have been previously well characterised, but little is known about the atmospheric compartment, where Hg is easily emitted and can persist for a long time as gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). In this work, atmospheric GEM levels and its spatial distribution over the lagoon were monitored at several sites by means of both continuous discrete instrumental measurements over several months and the determination of Hg bioaccumulated in lichens (Xanthoria parietina L.). Average GEM levels varied from 1.80 ± 0.74 to 3.04 ± 0.66 ng m−3, whereas Hg in lichens ranged between 0.06 to 0.40 mg kg−1. In both cases, the highest values were found downwind of the CAP, but excluding this point, spatial patterns of Hg in the atmosphere and lichens reflected the concentration of this metal in the sediments of the lagoon, showing a decrease moving westward. These results could indicate that the lagoon acts as a secondary source of Hg into the atmosphere: future work is needed to characterise the quantity of releases and depositions at different environments inside the lagoon.

Assessment of Potential Toxic Metals in a Ramsar Wetland, Central Mexico and its Self-Depuration through Eichhornia crassipes

The Valsequillo reservoir is a Ramsar wetland due to its importance as a point of convergence of migratory waterfowl. It is located in Central Mexico and is currently endangered by the constant spill of municipal and industrial discharges from Puebla city. On this context, we evaluated thirteen potential toxic metals (PTMs) in water, Water hyacinth (E. crassipes) plants and sediments at this site. A combined number of 31 samples were collected from the study area. The degree/extent of metal contamination in sediments was assessed through different geochemical indexes, namely: Geoaccumulation index (Igeo), Enrichment Factor (EF) and Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI). The ability of Water hyacinth plants residues as a phytodepurator in the Ramsar site was tested in terms of the bioaccumulation factor (BF) and the translocation factor (TF). The results concerning sediments showed that Pb, Cu and Hg pose a threat to the aquatic environment since Igeo and EF indicate sediments ranging from moderately contaminated to contaminated. Moreover, PERI pointed out Hg as the main contributor to the ecological risk in sediments, especially in the part of the reservoir covered by E. crassipes. Water hyacinth plants displayed good capacity to absorb PTMs from the water, since the content of Co, Zn, As, Ni, Cu, Pb, Ti, Cr, Ba, Mo and V in the total plant was (all values in mg/kg of dry weight) 21 ± 9, 408 ± 300, 12 ± 6, 93 ± 21, 93 ± 69, 53 ± 29, 1067 ± 643, 78 ± 55, 362 ± 39, 14 ± 0.6 and 96 ± 35, respectively. Metal content in sediments resembles to that of E. crassipes; especially in the roots, suggesting a constant deposition of plants at the bottom of the reservoir, which contributes to the eutrophication of the water. The present work encourages the need for a sustainable management of Water hyacinth plants in the Ramsar site, since they represent a plague and a natural phyto-depurator at the same time.

Metal(oid) mobility in a hypersaline salt marsh sediment (Sečovlje Salina, northern Adriatic, Slovenia)

In this research, sediments from the Sečovlje Salina (northern Adriatic, Slovenia) were geochemically investigated in order to decode the mobility of metal(oid)s in the hypersaline environment. The results demonstrated that the concentrations of As, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn and Zn were comparable to those detected in various similar coastal background areas, as well as in the Sečovlje salt marsh core sample. The estimated mobility potential of metal(oid)s in sediment decreases in the following order: Mo > As > Cu > Sb > Sn > Co > Pb > Ni > Zn. Since the hypersaline sediment (e.g. healing mud) is used as a healing factor (it can be applied directly on human skin), the study of metal(oid) bioavailability in an interaction between the hypersaline sediments and the artificial sweat was also performed. It is significant that the metal(oid) contents are leached in very low concentrations and are treated as nontoxic for humans according to international norms for cosmetic products. The study provides information in order to assess the role of metal mobility on the potential health impact of the application of natural healing mud.

Does mercury presence in soils promote their microbial activity? The Almadenejos case (Almadén mercury mining district, Spain)

Mercury is considered a very toxic element and important efforts are currently being made aimed at reduce or even eliminating its usage. Despite this trend, there are still sites where contamination by this metal is very marked, especially in the mining environment of Almadén where it has been exploited for thousands of years. The several forms in which Hg occurs in the soil interact differently with the organisms that live in/on it. The soil is a place where many biotic and abiotic variables act together. Through a detailed study of the edaphic characteristics of a decommissioned metallurgical enclosure, the presence of different chemical forms of Hg, the study of microbial activity (DHA) and, finally, parameters of the vegetation cover, such as specific distribution and biomass, we have tried to elucidate the effect of the presence of Hg in this precinct with a very high Hg pollution. The obtained results showed the affection patterns by which the different measured parameters vary, with special incidence to the microbial activity of the topsoil and to the specific distribution of the plants found in the studied area. The statistical multivariate analysis showed that significant correlations have been found between soil Hg fractions and between Hg fractions in plants; furthermore, soil conditions seem to be not related with Hg transfer from soils to plants. Biomass and DHA data indicate that the studied area is not affected by the presence of Hg species and lacks the expected toxic effects on the living organisms.