TRACE ELEMENT CONTENTS IN PLANTS GROWING AT MT. AKDAG, DENIZLI

Abstract

The present study was conducted to determine the current level of atmospheric heavy metal pollution in the Akdag Mountain of Denizli Province. The increase in industrial activities and human population and the high urbanization in Denizli and its environs have made it one of the rapid developing cities in the Western Anatolian part of Turkey. For this reason, Akdag Mountain of Denizli was chosen as the study area. Twenty nine different plants were selected to study their potential as biomonitors of trace elements such as Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn (mu g g(-1), dry weight). The samples were collected from two different altitudes of Akdag, a mountain overlooking at Denizli province. The concentrations of trace elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentrations determined at 1000 m altitude ranged from 0.329 to 0.487, 0.011 to 0.882, 0.241 to 0.714, 0.532 to 9.396, and 0.155 to 3.439 (mu g g(-1), dry weight), for Pb, Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn, respectively. At 1600 m altitude, the values ranged from 0.263 to 0.889, 0.092 to 0.600, 0.272 to 0.834, 1.130 to 8.021 and 0.076 to 0.508 (mu g g(-1), dry weight) for Pb, Ni, Zn, Fe and Mn, respectively. No Cd was detected at both altitudes. Statistical significance was determined by the independent sample t-test. In the independent sample t-test, comparisons were made in order to determine whether there were any differences between the averages of the herbaceous plants and woody plants.