Biomonitoring of Post-Mine Environment Using Ruderal Plants

Abstract

Ruderal plants that remove toxic metals by accumulating in their tissues are called accumulators. Such accumulators can be used for phytoremediation or phytomining. The use of plants for biomonitoring environmental pollution by a non-invasive monitoring method correlates the effects of anthropogenic factors and living organisms. The advantage is the early detection of changes in the environment, thanks to the rapid response of bioindicators, responding to changes in the habitat, for example, by creating deformations. At present, biomonitoring is one of the indispensable parts of nature and environmental protection. The following species were selected for research - Aster amellus L., Rosa canina L. and Paraleucobryum longifolium; the area of interest was the post-mining area. The aim of the study was to verify the hyperaccumulation activity of ruderal plants on the thermally active dump pile Ema, in the district of Ostrava-Karviná, Czech Republic. The plant samples were taken in the places with the thermal activity and were compared as for the capacity of bioaccumulation of hazardous metals – Co, Mo, Cd, Pb, Cr, As, Ba, Sr in the plant tissues from different parts of the plants (root, stem, leaf, fruit). The results were compared with the collection of metals at sampling points. The highest ability to bioaccumulate was demonstrated by plants from the Bryophyta division.