Effects of mangrove plant species on accumulation of heavy metals in sediment in a heavily polluted mangrove swamp in Pearl River Estuary, China

• Published in: Environmental geochemistry and health Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 175 - 189
• Main Authors: Chai, Minwei, Li, Ruili, Tam, Nora Fung Yee, Zan, Qijie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accumulation; Biogeochemical cycle; Biogeochemical cycles; Biogeochemistry; Cadmium; China; Chromium; Contamination; Earth and Environmental Science; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Estuaries; Estuarine dynamics; Estuarine environments; Flowers & plants; Geochemistry; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Heavy metals; Lead; Mangrove swamps; Mangroves; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Nickel; Original Paper; Plant species; Plants - metabolism; Public Health; Risk Assessment; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; Sediment; Sediments; Sequestering; Soil; Soil contamination; Soil quality; Soil Science & Conservation; Species; Species Specificity; Swamps; Terrestrial Pollution; Total organic carbon; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Wetlands; Zinc; China; Pearl River Estuary; Sediment; Heavy metal; Sonneratia apetala; Kandelia obovata
• ISSN: 0269-4042; 1573-2983
• DOI: 10.1007/s10653-018-0107-y

The present study compared accumulation of heavy metals in a mangrove swamp dominated by Kandelia obovata with that by Sonneratia apetala in Pearl River Estuary, China. The results showed that the concentrations of heavy metals at all sediment depths in the S. apetala site were significantly higher than that in K. obovata . The geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk index also showed that S. apetala sediment had a higher contamination of heavy metals, especially Cd. S. apetala significantly altered the biogeochemical cycles of Cd, lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr). In S. apetala sediment, TOC played an important role in sequestering heavy metals as reflected by its positive correlations with Zn and Pb. This study demonstrated the importance of plant species in altering soil quality and heavy metal accumulation, and S. apetala is more efficiently working as a pollution barrier than K. obovata .