Heavy Metal Accumulation in the Mangrove Ecosystem of South Gujarat Coast, India
2017
Gulle, Iskender | Kucuk, Fahrettin | Guclu, Salim Serkan
The mangrove ecosystem in South Gujarat estuaries constantly reel under the pressure of pollution owing to the rapid industrialization. Hence, this study was carried out to assess the impacts of heavy metals coming into the system through the waste discharges on the overall mangrove health in selected estuaries of the region. The concentrations of different heavy metals such as Pb, Ni, Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe and Hg were measured in the sediments and tissues of Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. (Family: Acanthaceae) in seven estuaries of South Gujarat. The results revealed that despite the relatively high heavy metal accumulation (Cr > Cu > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cd > Hg) in the mangrove sediments of the study sites, A. marina plants selectively uptake only Cu and Zn and tend to avoid rest of the heavy metals. The analysis of the mangrove sediments indicated a positive correlation between the organic matter and clay content with the heavy metals. No visible impact of heavy metal on the morphology of the plants could be observed and the present paper discusses how the plants have adopted to the environment.
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