Akumulacja makro- i mikroelementów w mchach Słowińskiego Parku Narodowego

This study was carried out in the Słowiński National Park (SNP, northern Poland) in 15 Scots pine forest stands. The research objective was to analyze the content of macro− and microelements in Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens and to compare accumulation properties of these mosses. The examined parameters characterized by diverse composition, which depended on the mosses species and location of the study plot. The nitrogen was determined by Kiejdahl method, and the phosphorus by the molybdate method. The content of K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Fe was assessed by atomic absorption spectrometry after mineralization in the mixture of 65% HNO3 and 30% H2O2. The content of microelements in mosses was low and indicated low abundance of forest ecosystems in the SNP as to basic nutritional components. The highest average amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, manganese and copper were found in H. splendens, while potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc and nickel in P. schreiberi. The content of zinc, nickel, copper, manganese and iron in both species were within the limits of permissible values characteristic for the plants of the unpolluted areas. Relation among the determined macro− and microelements in both species constituted the following decreasing series: N>Ca>Mg>P>K>Fe>Mn>Zn>Ni>Cu (H. splendens) and N>Ca>Mg>K>P>Fe>Mn>Zn>Ni>Cu (P. schreberi). Mann−Whitney test indicated the significance of the differences in the content of N (p<0.001), K (p<0.001) and Cu (p<0.01) between in P. schreberi and H. splendens. The mosses accumulated from 641.7 to 689.3 mmolc/kg of all the analyzed components, and the lower sum of the accumulated macro− and microelements was found for P. schreberi. Accumulation differences in the properties of the examined species of mosses primarily result from the varying demand for individual components. Relatively high participation of Mn and Fe in the sum of the measured components in both species of moss can be the evidence of excessive uptake of these elements from the soil with heavily acidic reaction of the organic and humus levels of the soils in the SNP.