| Project Title |  |
| Project
B1: Post-deposition mobility of trace metals in boreal forest ecosystems.
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| Research Team | |
| B. Hale, Univ. of
Guelph Email: bhale@lrs.uoguelph.ca Tel: 519-824-4120 X 3434 Co-Investigators: R. Martin, University of Western Ontario.
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| Project Summary | |
| Soil and vegetation were sampled at
nine sites established along a 70 km transect that followed a gradient of current and
historic atmospheric metal deposition in the Sudbury region. Where possible, upland and
lowland sites were paired in close proximity to one another at each distance interval to
determine the effects of drainage on soil metal bioavailability and accumulation in
vegetative compartments. Preliminary results show the total soil (including litter layer)
concentrations of Cu, Ni and to a lesser extent Pb, decrease with increasing distance from
the metal source. Foliar concentrations of Cu and Ni were elevated at those sites closest to Sudbury. Foliar concentrations of these two elements were similar among sites at the 40 km mark and beyond. The plant species that were sampled varied markedly in the concentrations of trace metals accumulated in root, bark, foliar and stem tissues. Ni concentrations in herb foliage, such as that of Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), showed the strongest correlation with total Ni, followed by the Ni contents in tree foliage and tree stem tissue. Currently, trace metal speciation in soil samples is being determined to address the effects of metal form on absorption by plants. Further statistical analysis of plant metal concentrations will help to determine those species for future sampling that best reflect the dynamics of metal flux in boreal systems.
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