Abstract:
The paper describes investigation on bioaccumulation of mineral elements
and identification of plants based on the concentrations of the elements in
the plant leaves. Five native plant species (Elytrigia repens, Plantago major,
Urtica dioica, Chelidonium majus, and Taraxacum officinale) were studied. To
exclude the effects from different growth conditions and developmental
stages, the plants were collected simultaneously from the same site (park in
St. Petersburg, Russia). It was found that for all plants high concentrations of
potassium, sodium, phosphorus and magnesium (K, Na, P, and Mg) were
typical, while concentrations of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were the lowest.
The most significant difference was found between concentrations of
elements in monocots and eudicots. Among other species, T. officinale had
the highest concentrations of almost all elements. Excellent separation of the
plants into different groups which was due to different element
concentrations in the plant leaves was demonstrated