Testing Biomonitoring Potential of Bryophytes. Note II: The Interrelations Between the Heavy Metal Content Identified in the Soil of Different Areas of Harghita County

  • Endre MOLNAR University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Antonia ODAGIU University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca
  • Claudia BALINT University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Petru BURDUHOS University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Cristian IEDERAN University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Ioan BRAȘOVEAN University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Agriculture, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
  • Cristian MALINAS University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Silviculture and Cadastre
Keywords: cluster analysis, correlations, heavy metals, multivariate analysis

Abstract

Biomonitoring with bryophytes is a widely used method for assessing environmental quality,
particularly air quality. Bryophytes, including mosses and lichens, are highly sensitive to
environmental changes, making them effective biological indicators of air pollution. These plants
absorb chemicals directly from the air, providing insights into pollutant levels in the surrounding
environment. In this study, we aimed to test the interrelations between the heavy metal content
identified in the soil of different areas of Harghita County. The study of the interrelations between
heavy metals within analyzed sites performed using the cluster analysis highlights in all monitored
areas the presence of two clusters, one of which corresponds in all cases to the concentration(s) of the
microelement(s) that present the highest values, thus highlighting the high concentrations mainly of
manganese and in some cases also of zinc, which are found mainly in the soil located in the vicinity of
mining activities and/or those where the metallurgical industry is developed, but also railway traffic.

 

Published
2025-01-12