Influence of soil properties on trace element availability and plant accumulation in a Mediterranean salt marsh polluted by mining wastes: Implications for phytomanagement

The aims of this study were to determine the factors which control metal and As phytoavailability in the different microenvironments (Sand Dunes, Salt Flat, Dry River and Shrubs) present at a Mediterranean salt marsh polluted by mining wastes. We performed a field study following a plot sampling survey. The analyses of soil parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon contents, etc.), total metal and As concentrations and their phytoavailability assessed with EDTA were related to each microenvironment and the corresponding plant species uptake. The averages of pH and EC were slightly alkaline (pH ≈ 7.5) and saline (≈ 2.2 to 17.1 dS m−1) respectively. The soil samples from the Salt Flat subzone showed the highest metal concentrations (e.g. 51 mg kg−1 Cd, 11,600 mg kg−1 Pb) while for As, the highest concentrations occurred in the Dry River (380 mg kg−1 As). The total metal and EDTA-extractable concentrations occurred as it follows: Salt Flat > Dry River > Degraded Dunes > Shrubs. In relation to plant metal and As accumulation, the highest root concentrations were obtained in the species from the Salt Flat subzone: ~ 17 mg kg−1 As, ~ 620 mg kg−1 Pb, for both, Juncus maritimus and Arthrocnemum macrostachyum. However the highest metal and As shoot concentrations occurred in species from the Sand Dunes: ~ 23 mg kg−1 As ~ 270 mg kg−1 Pb for Dittrichia viscosa; ~ 23 mg kg−1 As, ~ 390 mg kg−1 Zn for Crucianella maritima. The occurrence of edaphic gradients including salinity and texture determined the vegetation distribution. However, it cannot be concluded that there was a disturbance due to metal(loid)s soil concentrations in terms of vegetation composition except in the Degraded Dunes and Dry River. The higher EDTA-extractable concentrations were coincidental with the most saline soils but this did not result in higher metal(loid)s plant accumulation.

► Soil parameters such as salinity or texture affect plant establishment more than metal pollution.
► Metal bioavailability in salt marshes is influenced by salinity.
► High metal EDTA-extractability was not correlated with shoot uptake.