Fly ash generates as the result of coal combustion in thermoelectric power stations whereas ore mining activities produce mine waste-rock and tailings worldwide. High concentrations of metal(loid)s ...and organic pollutants in fly ash and mine wastes are released into soil, air and water presenting a global threat to the surrounding environment and human health. The environmentally sound management of fly ash and mine waste–rock and tailings includes monitoring stability of the dam construction and seepage flowrate, prevention of water erosion and dust spreading, reducing the footprint of the management facilities and successful restoration / revegetation. Harsh conditions prevailing on fly ash and mine deposits are unfavorable mechanical composition and pH, high concentrations of soluble salts, lack of nitrogen and phosphorous, reduced number of microorganisms and fungus, toxic concentrations of As, Au, Ag, B, Cu, Cd, Cr, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn and the presence of PAHs and PCBs. The review addresses phystostabilization, phytoextraction, rhizodegradation and phytodegradation as main phytoremediation green technologies which use plants to clean up the contaminated area to safe levels. Establishment of the self–sustaining vegetative cover on fly ash and mine deposits is crucial for recovering ecosystem health, stability and resilience. Therefore, here we have discussed the essential role of native plants in the ecorestoration process on waste deposits. Additional emphasis is given to the evaluation of plant adaptive response to pollution stress. This review presents a current knowledge in phytomanagement of fly ash deposits, mine waste-rock and tailings. Also, it provides a new frontier in restoration physiology where physiological and biochemical tools can be used to predict plant response to stressors and success of restoration projects.
An ethnobotanical survey was carried out on the territory of the highest mountain in Central Serbia, Kopaonik, which is characterized by great plant diversity. In total, 83 wild species from 41 ...families and 96 preparations for use in human therapy were recorded. Among those wild plants which are most commonly used for medicinal purposes,
Hypericum perforatum L.,
Urtica dioica L.,
Achillea millefolium L.,
Matricaria chamomilla L.,
Sambucus nigra L., and
Thymus serpyllum L. were particularly highly recommended by the majority of informants as being ‘beneficial for all ailments’. The most frequently reported medicinal uses were for treating gastrointestinal ailments (50%), skin injuries and problems (25.6%), followed by respiratory, urinary-genital and cardiovascular problems (20.5%, 20.5%, 19.2%, respectively). Plants with unusual phytotherapeutic uses are
Galium verum L. (sedative properties) and
Eupatorium cannabinum L. (influenza-like illnesses), while plants with interesting but lesser-known properties include
Daphne laureola L. (rheumatism and skin ailments) and
Ficaria verna Huds. (tubers for treating haemorrhoids). In addition, 10 wild species used in veterinary medicine, as well as 25 herbs used for human nourishment were noted.
Ethnobotanical research in Southeast Europe-one of the most important European hotspots for biocultural diversity-is significant for the acquisition of Traditional Ecological Knowledge related to ...plants as well as for encouraging the development of local environments. The current ethnobotanical research was conducted in the region of Mt Stara Planina (south-eastern Serbia), which is characterised by rich phytodiversity with a large number of endemic and relict plant species. The aim of the study was to document the diversity of uses of medicinal plants and of traditional knowledge on their therapeutic uses.
Ethnobotanical data was collected through both open and semi-structured interviews with locals. Fifty-one inhabitants were interviewed (26 men and 25 women), aged 30-91, and data was analysed by means of use reports, citation frequency, use values (UV), and the informant consensus factor (ICF).
The study identified 136 vascular medicinal plant taxa and one lichen species belonging to 53 families and 116 genera. Lamiaceae (19), Rosaceae (18), and Asteraceae (17) had the highest species diversity. The plant parts most commonly used to make a variety of herbal preparations were the aerial parts (54 citations), leaves (35 citations), fruits (20 citations), flowers (18 citations), and roots (16 citations), while the most common forms of preparation were teas (60.78%), consumption of fresh tubers, leaves, roots, and fructus (6.86%), compresses (5.88%), juices (5.39%), decoctions (3.92%), 'travarica' brandy (3.92%), and syrups (2.45%). Of the recorded species, 102 were administered orally, 17 topically, and 18 both orally and topically. The plants with a maximum use value (UV = 1) were Allium sativum, Allium ursinum, Gentiana asclepiadea, Gentiana cruciata, Gentiana lutea, Hypericum perforatum, Thymus serpyllum and Urtica dioica. The highest ICF value (ICF = 0.95) was recorded in the categories of Skin and Blood, Blood Forming Organs, and Immune Mechanism.
This study shows that medicinal plants in the research area are an extremely important natural resource for the local population as they are an important component of their health culture and provide a better standard of living.
The current study aimed to phytochemically characterize (including a detailed phenolic profile) two endemic Balkan's species (Hieracium waldsteinii and Onosma stellulata) and determine their possible ...application as a source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents. The main phenolic compound in both species (in all examined parts) was chlorogenic acid. Eriodictyol, genistein and naringenin were quantified only in H. waldsteinii while isorhamnetin‐3‐O‐rutinoside and sinapic acid were characteristic for O. stellulata. The highest antioxidant activity (98 mg AAE/g dry weight for TAC assay) was ascribed to the flower extract of H. waldsteinii while the lowest results (∼4.3 mg AAE/g dry weight for FRP assay) were exhibited by the extracts obtained from the plant's stem. Antimicrobial assays showed moderate antibacterial, i. e., moderate/strong activity against several tested fungi (in particular Trichoderma viride). Correlation analysis revealed strong positive connection between phenolic compounds and reducing power of extracts as well as between total phenolic and flavonoid content and the obtained minimal inhibitory concentration recorded in antibacterial assays.
Arsenic (As) from coal fly ash can be released into soil/groundwater, presenting a global threat to the environment and human health. To overcome this environmental problem, phytoremediation ...represents an urgent need, providing 'green' cleanup of contaminated lands. The present study focused on As concentrations in fly ash and plants, evaluation of phytoremediation potential of
sown on fly ash deposits together with its photosynthetic activity, and oxidative and antioxidative response to As stress. Field research was carried out on fly ash deposits at the thermal power plant "Nikola Tesla", Obrenovac (TENT-A, Serbia) and the control site. Fly ash is characterized by alkaline pH reactions, small amounts of organic matter, a large amount of available phosphate, and total and available As concentrations. Results in this study indicate that phosphate application can ameliorate As toxicity, uptake and root-shoot transport. Furthermore,
can be considered as good As phytostabilizator, because it retains more As in roots than in leaves. Excess As in leaves decreases photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) and concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, whereas high content of malondialdehyde (MDA) can be a signal for biosynthesis phenolics and ascorbic acid, providing cellular redox homeostasis and recovery of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry. In the roots, low oxidative stress under high concentrations of As is related to intense antioxidant biosynthesis. Taken together, the results in this study indicate a high adaptive potential of
to As stress. These findings may suggest that physiological and metabolic tools can be used as a way forward in the 'real field' scenario, phytomanagement of fly ash and ecosystem services providing sustainable phytoremediation of As-contaminated sites around the globe.
Freshwater ecosystems are at significant risk of contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) due to their high inherent toxicity, their persistence in the environment and their tendency to ...bioaccumulate in sediments and living organisms. We investigated aquatic macrophyte communities and the concentrations of As, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, Ni and Fe in water and sediment samples to identify a pollution pattern along the Sava River and to investigate the potential impact of these PTEs on the diversity and structure of macrophyte communities. The study, which covered 945 km of the Sava River, showed a downstream increase in sediment concentrations of the analyzed elements. Both species richness and alpha diversity of macrophyte communities also generally increase downstream. Ordinary and partial Mantel tests indicate that macrophyte communities are significantly correlated with sediment chemistry, but only weakly correlated with water chemistry. In the lowland regions (downstream), beta diversity decreases successively, which can be attributed to an increasing similarity of environmental conditions at downstream sites. Species richness is relatively low at sites with low concentrations of Cr, Cd, Fe, and Cu in the sediment. However, species richness increases to a certain extent with increasing element concentrations; as element concentrations increase further, species richness decreases, probably as a result of increased toxicity. Some species that are generally more tolerant to high concentrations of PTEs are: Ceratophyllum demersum, Iris pseudacorus, Najas marina, Butomus umbellatus, Vallisneria spiralis, Potamogeton gramineus and Bolboschoenus maritimus maritimus. Potamogeton perfoliatus and the moss species Cinclidotus fontinaloides and Fontinalis antipyretica have narrow ecological amplitudes in relation to the concentrations of PTEs in the sediment.
•The effect of trace elements on aquatic vegetation along the Sava River was studied.•Concentrations of analyzed elements increase in the downstream direction.•Species richness and alpha diversity also increase in the downstream direction.•There is a significant correlation between sediment pollution and species richness of macrophytes.•Elevated Cr, Cd, Fe, and Cu concentrations can affect species richness.
In this study, both seasonal and spatial variations in trace metal uptake, as well as concentration of photosynthetic pigments in Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) trees in five urban parks in ...Pančevo, Smederevo, Obrenovac and Belgrade (Serbia) affected by different anthropogenic activities were studied. The characteristics of soil were assessed in terms of texture, pH and trace element content. Concentrations of boron, strontium and zinc in both leaves and bark showed an increasing temporal trend, however, copper showed an opposite seasonal trend. A higher accumulation of trace elements was noticed in leaves compared to bark. The obtained results for photosynthetic pigments showed low sensitivity of birch to B, Cu, Sr and Zn contamination, indicating that birch tolerates pollution and climate stress by increasing the amount of pigments. Analysis of the effects on soil chemistry of trace element accumulation in plant tissues proved that soil chemistry poorly explains the variability of elements in bark (27.6 %) compared to leaves (82.99 %). Discriminant analysis showed that Belgrade and Smederevo are clearly separated from the other three sites.
Four woody species, Tamarix tentandra Pallas, Populus alba L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L. (planted) and Amorpha fruticosa L. (naturally colonized) were studied at two fly ash deposit lagoons, ...weathered 3 (L1) and 11 years (L2). All species were assessed in terms of their invasive ability, photosynthetic efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and damage symptoms, while the characteristics of the habitat were assessed in terms of trace element content and the pH and EC of the ash. A reduced vitality of all populations growing on the ash was observed, except for the naturally colonized A. fruticosa. High vitality on all sites, except at L2, increased chlorophyll content and absence of damage symptoms indicates a tolerance in relation to the uptake of toxic elements from the ash. Therefore, the characteristics of naturally colonized species can be used for modeling future actions of biological restoration of fly ash deposits.
Potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in medicinal plants, particularly those growing in urban environments, can cause human health issues. Therefore, this study evaluated trace element ...accumulation and translocation patterns (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) in the aboveground tissue of common Tilia tomentosa Moench, often used as a medicinal plant, sampled in Belgrade’s urban parks (Zemunski Park, Park Blok 63, and Park Topčider). Our results indicated that this species exhibits the ability to accumulate and translocate PTEs, particularly Cu, in its aboveground parts. It was found that the levels of Cu and Sr in flowers were within the toxic range for plants, indicating a potential risk in using T. tomentosa flowers from Park Topčider for medicinal purposes. The maximum Estimated Daily Intake of Ni from the consumption of leaves and flowers of plants growing in two parks (Zemunski Park and Park Topčider) exceeded the corresponding Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake. Additionally, the Carcinogenic Risk calculated for Cr present in flowers was above the USEPA limit (3.021 × 10sup.−3 ), indicating possible adverse effects on human health and a carcinogenic risk from ingesting tea prepared from T. tomentosa flowers from Park Topčider. Our research underlines how crucial it is to cautiously use medicinal tree species growing in urban parks in residential areas.
The effects of forty years of spruce cultivation in a zone of beech forest on Mt. Maljen (Serbia) Kostić, O., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia); Mitrović, M., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia); Jarić, S., Institute for Biological Research Siniša Stanković, Belgrade (Serbia) ...
Archives of Biological Sciences,
(2012), Volume:
64, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Open access
This study investigates the effects of the forty-year cultivation of Picea abies on the floristic composition, physical and chemical soil characteristics, and the intensity of organic matter ...decomposition in a zone of mountainous beech forest (Mt. Maljen, northwestern Serbia). The long-term cultivation of conifers in a deciduous habitat has caused a reduction in biodiversity, as well as changes in the soil which were most pronounced in the top soil layer. There were found to be lower soil moisture levels (p is less than 0.05), lower active (p is less than 0.01) and substitutional acidity (p is less than 0.001), depletion of the adsorption complex in base cations (p is less than 0.001), and lower levels of N, P and K (p is less than 0.001) in the spruce stand in relation to the beech stand (control). The higher C/N ratio of spruce litter (p is less than 0.001) caused its lower decomposition rate in comparison to beech litter (p is less than 0.01). All these changes have led to degradation and a reduction in this ecosystem’s productivity.
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