Kragujevac Journal of Science (Jan 2015)

Lemna minor L.: As bioindicator of heavy metal pollution in Skadar lake: Montenegro

  • Kastratović Vlatko,
  • Jaćimović Željko,
  • Đurović Dijana,
  • Bigović Miljan,
  • Krivokapić Slađana

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5937/KgJSci1537123K
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2015, no. 37
pp. 123 – 134

Abstract

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The use of aquatic plants to analyze the heavy metal pollution of a lake environment has a number of advantages over the standard chemical methods of the analysis of metal presence in water and sediment. The macrophyta Lemna minor L., sampled from Lake Skadar in Montenegro has been used as a bio-indicator. Floating macrophyte L. minor accumulates metals from water through its submerged roots and floated leaves. The contents of Cd, Cu, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Sr and V were determined in sediments, water and the plant. The results obtained indicated a very high capacity of L. minor for the accumulation of Mn. In addition, higher Zn concentration was found in root tissue comparing to the sediment. The concentration of the other metals under investigation decreases in the following order: sediment > L. minor(root) > L. minor(leaf) > water. Higher concentrations of all metals in the tissue of L. minor were observed at the end of the growing season. A higher metal content was recorded in the root compared to the leaf. In descending order, the concentrations in plant tissues were found for the following metals: Mn > Zn > Sr > Cu > Ni > Pb > Co > V > Cr > Cd, while the series of bioaccumulation is, in descending order: Mn > Zn > Ni > Co > Pb > Cu > Cr > V > Sr > Cd.

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