Metals in Sediment and Phragmites Australis (Common Reed) from Tisza River, Serbia

Abstract

In this study the concentrations of metals were investigated in Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. eh Steud. 1841 and sediment samples from the bed of the River Tisza in Serbia. Al, As, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr and Zn levels were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry. The sediment samples contained elevated concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel and zinc. The increased concentration of these metals had no significant effect on wildlife of the river Tisza as the determined concentrations of the metals tested in the comon reed do not exceed the threshold of phytotoxicity. The research proved a strong positive correlation between the concentrations of metals in the sediment and all common reed organs (rhizome, stem and leave). Accumulated metals in the common reed are not distributed evenly, but there are target organs for bioaccumulation. Concentrations in belowground organs were usually higher than aboveground organs, and the general decreasing trend of element content was rhizome gt leaves gt stems.