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Updated: Oct 15, 2025
Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil
Published on: September 1, 2020
A comparative study of sediment-bound trace elements and iron-bearing minerals in S. alterniflora and mudflat regions
Dan Yang1, Jiajia Wu2, Lingbin Yan3
1Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation in Mountainous Region, Collaborative Innovation Center for Mountain Ecology & Agro-Bioengineering, College of Life Sciences, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Key Laboratory of the Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
Abstract:
Elevated sediment-bound trace elements and iron-bearing minerals in intertidal habitats have been drawing more attention, but there is rarely a comparative study assessing these features between halophyte plants habitat and mudflats. In this paper, sediment samples were collected in S. alterniflora and the corresponding mudflat at 7 typical intertidal habitats (Chongming, Xiapu, Yueqing, Yunxiao, Zhanjiang, Beihai, and Zhuhai) from north to south of China, respectively. Trace element concentrations, including arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb) and scandium (Sc), and magnetic characteristics were determined. Variations in sediment-bound As, Hg, Cd, Sb were associated with S. alterniflora. Accumulations of sediment-bound As, Hg, Sb, Cd and Sc in S. alterniflora in Beihai were much higher than those in the mudflat. Concentration of sediment-bound As, Hg, Sb, Cd and Sc in S. alterniflora and mudflat were comparable in Yueqing, Xiapu, Yunxiao and Zhanjiang, respectively. Variations in low-frequency susceptibility, susceptibility of anhysteretic remanence magnetization, saturation isothermal remanence magnetization and frequency dependent susceptibility can explain the site-dependent accumulation of magnetic minerals in intertidal habitats. S. alterniflora tend to deplete sediment magnetic concentration and enhance sediment-bound As, Hg, and Sb concentration. The results of our study further revealed the coexistence of trace elements and magnetic minerals between the sampling sites and vegetative in intertidal habitats.
