Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tadeusz Magiera, Maria Magdalena Szuszkiewicz, Adam Michczynski, Leszek Chrost, Marcin Szuszkiewicz
Summary: The study aimed to detect traces of human activity and historical mining and smelting in the Brynica River catchment using a combination of magnetic, radiometric and geochemical methods. The results revealed the potential mobility of certain heavy metals in peat profiles and their distribution over different depths, providing insight into the historical impact of ore mining and smelting. The correlation observed between anthropogenic Pb and magnetic parameters will be useful for further exploration of historical human impacts on the environment, supporting archaeological studies in early settlement sites.
Article
Agronomy
Alexandra D. Solomou, Rafaelia Germani, Nikolaos Proutsos, Michaela Petropoulou, Petros Koutroumpilas, Christos Galanis, Georgios Maroulis, Antonios Kolimenakis
Summary: This study investigates the use of phytoremediation, specifically focusing on Mediterranean plants, to reduce heavy metal concentrations in contaminated soils. Based on a review of 166 research studies, the findings suggest that phytoremediation is a sustainable and affordable option, particularly for developing countries. While non-native plant species may be preferred for their metal tolerance mechanisms, they can also pose risks to local ecosystems and should be carefully considered.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lizhu Yuan, Penghong Guo, Shuhai Guo, Jianing Wang, Yujie Huang
Summary: The study revealed that electrical fields have a promoting effect on phytoremediation of multi-metal contaminated soils, leading to increased plant biomass and accumulation of heavy metals.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aurang Zeb, Weitao Liu, Nouman Ali, Ruiying Shi, Yuhang Lian, Qi Wang, Jianling Wang, Jiantao Li, Zeqi Zheng, Jinzheng Liu, Miao Yu, Jianv Liu
Summary: This study investigated the effects of tire wear particles (TWPs) on the growth and metabolism of mung bean plants and soil. Despite the accumulation of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in TWPs-treated soils, there was no significant impact on plant growth, indicating a degree of tolerance. However, TWPs exposure had significant effects on soil enzyme activities, plant metabolite profiles, and microbiota.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2024)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ahmed Ali Romeh
Summary: The study revealed that heavy metal contamination in agricultural land and canola crops has exceeded safe levels, posing potential threats to human health. Bees have the ability to transfer some heavy metals from canola to their hives, while the risk of human ingestion of honey is relatively low.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Liam Heffernan, Vincent E. J. Jassey, Maya Frederickson, M. Derek MacKenzie, David Olefeldt
Summary: The study found that deep peat layers have very low potential enzyme activities, with no differences between young and mature bogs. Peat quality at depth was highly humified in both young and mature bogs. Near-surface peat in young bogs showed significantly higher potential enzyme activities compared to mature bogs, influenced by differences in peat quality derived from different Sphagnum species.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Petru Cardei, Florin Nenciu, Nicoleta Ungureanu, Mirabela Augustina Pruteanu, Valentin Vladut, Dan Cujbescu, Iuliana Gageanu, Oana Diana Cristea
Summary: The study proposes a statistical model for assessing zinc accumulation in lettuce, revealing the time dependence of heavy metal accumulation in plants. Experimental data can be used to predict plant growth parameters in contaminated environments and assess the potential harm of pollutants to human health.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Vishnu D. Rajput, Tatiana Minkina, Arpna Kumari, Harish, Vipin Kumar Singh, Krishan K. Verma, Saglara Mandzhieva, Svetlana Sushkova, Sudhakar Srivastava, Chetan Keswani
Summary: This study aims to comprehensively review the beneficial roles of NPs in plants under different abiotic stresses, especially heavy metals, salinity, and drought, providing deep insights about mechanisms of abiotic stress alleviation in plants under NP application.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elisa Fasani, Mingai Li, Claudio Varotto, Antonella Furini, Giovanni DalCorso
Summary: Research on the interaction between plants and potentially toxic elements has mainly focused on angiosperms, while lower plant clades have been somewhat overlooked. Recent studies have shown the potential of bryophytes, pteridophytes, and gymnosperms in environmental sciences, as indicators of habitat health and elemental pollution, as well as tools for soil and water reclamation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qinghong Sun, Yuxin Zhang, Chenshu Ming, Jianmin Wang, Ying Zhang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effect of amended compost on reducing heavy metal bioavailability in soil and relieving heavy metals stress on plants under Cu and Zn stress in a pot experiment. The application of amended compost could promote the growth and quality of pakchoi and enhance the stress ability of malondialdehyde and antioxidant enzymes to heavy metals. The distribution of Cu and Zn in different subcellular parts of pakchoi was also affected. The results showed that the application of amended compost significantly reduced the heavy metals content in the shoot of pakchoi, among which the content of Cu and Zn in the shoot of pakchoi in RLw was significantly decreased by 57.29% and 60.07%, respectively. These results provide a new understanding for efficient remediation of contaminated farmland soil by multiple heavy metals.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Margita Kuklova, Jan Kukla, Helena Hnilickova, Frantisek Hnilicka, Ivica Pivkova
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of car transport on the distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in soils and plants. The findings indicate that the operation of a motorway has resulted in pollution of the surrounding forest ecosystem.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tianai Zhou, Shiv Prasher, Zhiming Qi, Saji George, Ali Mawof, Christopher Nzediegwu, Jaskaran Dhiman, Ramanbhai Patel
Summary: The study found that the presence of silver nanoparticles in wastewater significantly increased the uptake of various heavy metals by plants, while there were no significant differences in soil metal concentrations between the two treatments. The presence of silver nanoparticles in wastewater may exacerbate the uptake of heavy metals by food crops irrigated with wastewater, potentially posing a health risk for humans.
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Gera Techane Mengistu, Geremew Sahilu, Worku Mulat, Elfu Amare
Summary: Native plant species growing on metal contaminated soil were evaluated for their phytoremediation potential by analyzing the concentrations of various metals in soil, aboveground tissues, and roots. The results showed that most of the species were efficient in taking up and translocating multiple trace elements. Certain plants exhibited potential for phytoextraction of specific metals, while others were suitable for phytostabilization. The concentrations of some metals in plant tissues were found to be above the normal range, indicating their potential use in phytoremediation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Peter S. Spencer, Valerie S. Palmer
Summary: Although excessive exposure to metals/metalloids with neurotoxic potential can pose health risks, prolonged ingestion of contaminated botanicals is not recognized as a cause of overt neurological disease. However, the presence of metal elements may impact levels of botanical neurotoxins in certain plants and mushrooms that cause acute and chronic neurological disease.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Edward J. Calabrese, Evgenios Agathokleous
Summary: Accumulation of metals by plants is a key research area, with hormetic-biphasic dose-response relationships commonly observed for multiple agents in plant studies. The dose response is similar across studies, independent of plant species, endpoints, and metals, and is associated with up- and down-regulation of adaptive mechanisms in plant responses. These findings provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the qualitative and quantitative features of hormetic dose response in plant studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cezary Kabala, Lukasz Chachulski, Bogdan Gadek, Bartosz Korabiewski, Monika Metrak, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska
Summary: The study examines the impact of major environmental factors related to climate, topography, and vegetation on soil development in the Uisu Glacier foreland. The extremely cold and dry climate limits water availability, suppresses vegetation growth, and slows down soil development. Both WRB and Soil Taxonomy were able to reflect advances in soil development and spatial differentiation, highlighting different features developed under the extreme climate conditions of the East Pamir Mountains.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Monika Metrak, Agata Trojan, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska
CHEMISTRY OF NATURAL COMPOUNDS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jacek Borgulat, Wlodzimierz Lukasik, Anna Borgulat, Aleksandra Nadgorska-Socha, Marta Kandziora-Ciupa
Summary: The study aimed to assess the potential impact of lead on soil metabolism in two landscape parks in Poland. It found that organic carbon content and soil pH were the main factors influencing lead mobility in soil. Elevated lead levels in the topsoil could affect soil microbial biodiversity, but low soil pH was a more likely limiting factor.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Malgorzata Suska-Malawska, Assem Vyrakhamanova, Marya Ibraeva, Maksat Poshanov, Marcin Sulwinski, Kristina Toderich, Monika Metrak
Summary: The southern part of Kazakhstan has significant issues with salinization in irrigated lands, with cadmium contamination in soil primarily stemming from polluted irrigation water.
Article
Geography, Physical
Malgorzata Suska-Malawska, Malgorzata Kot, Anna Grezak, Monika Metrak, Mukhiddin Khudjanazarov, Karol Szymczak
Summary: Archaeological findings from Uzbekistan suggest that camels were domesticated in Central Asia during the Neolithic period, potentially in response to climate transition. Herders in the region may have shifted to exclusively herding camels around 3000-4000 BC, possibly due to changes in climate and vegetation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Monika Metrak, Lukasz Chachulski, Pawe Pawlikowski, Elzbieta Rojan, Marcin Sulwinski, Gorzata Suska-Malawska
Summary: High-altitude wetlands in the Eastern Pamir are important water sources and forage grounds. They have the potential to act as refugia for species affected by climate change, providing temporary habitat for steppe and meadow species.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Yuanming Zhang, Akash Tariq, Alice C. Hughes, Deyuan Hong, Fuwen Wei, Hang Sun, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Gad Perry, Jianfang Qiao, Alishir Kurban, Xiaoxia Jia, Domitilla Raimondo, Borong Pan, Weikang Yang, Daoyuan Zhang, Wenjun Li, Zeeshan Ahmed, Carl Beierkuhnlein, Georgy Lazkov, Kristina Toderich, Shirin Karryeva, Davron Dehkonov, Hikmat Hisoriev, Liliya Dimeyeva, Dmitry Milko, Ahmedou Soule, Malgozhata Suska-Malawska, Jumamurat Saparmuradov, Alilov Bekzod, Paul Allin, Sidy Dieye, Birane Cissse, Wondmagegne Whibesilassie, Keping Ma
Summary: The strategic goals of the United Nations and the Aichi Targets for biodiversity conservation have not been met. Instead, biodiversity has continued to rapidly decrease, especially in developing countries.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Piotr Chibowski, Marcin Zegarek, Aleksandra Zarzycka, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska
Summary: The impact of burrowing mammals on plant communities in arid, cold mountain environments is not well-studied. This study investigated the ecosystem engineering role of long-tailed marmots in an extremely arid glacier valley in Tajikistan. The results suggest that the presence of burrows did not enhance vegetation cover or plant diversity, possibly due to limited water availability.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Monika Metrak, Mateusz Wilk, Iwona Jasser, Nataliia Khomutovska, Bartosz Korabiewski, Toirbek Niyatbekov, Tomasz P. Lociniczak, Marta Wrzosek, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska
Summary: Under demanding climatic conditions, biological soil crusts (BSCs) play a crucial role in soil formation and nutrient sequestration. However, little is known about BSCs in high-altitude areas with a combination of glaciation, deglaciation, and arid or hyperarid climate. This study provides the first data on BSCs from a glacier foreland in the E Pamir, highlighting their characteristics and importance in soil-forming processes.
Article
Ecology
Piotr Chibowski, Marcin Brzezinski, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska, Karol Zub
Summary: We conducted a nonlethal feeding experiment to measure trophic discrimination factors (TDFs) in two rodent species fed different diets. The study found that yellow-necked mice and bank voles had different TDFs and showed variations in their fecal isotopic composition. Additionally, the moult intensity differed between the two species.
ANNALES ZOOLOGICI FENNICI
(2022)
Article
Geography
Bogdan Gadek, Elzbieta Rojan, Malgorzata Suska-Malawska
Summary: This study describes the surge-type Uisu glacier and its forefield in the Tajik part of Eastern Pamir. The present-day position of the glacier terminus resulted from a surge before 1947. Despite the glacier's melting and mass loss, the terminal zone has remained stable for several decades.
MISCELLANEA GEOGRAPHICA
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Bert van Pinxteren, Mirza Emirhafizovic, Inga Dailidiene, Aleksandra Figurek, Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir, Monika Metrak
Summary: Examining problems in education in global drylands, solutions in areas such as response to low population densities, governance, language of instruction, and education-labour market mismatch are crucial. Formulating policy recommendations to strengthen resilience of dryland communities requires systemic solutions, bottom-up ideas, and involvement of diaspora and non-governmental organizations.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES
(2021)
