Contributions of Wetland Plants on Metal Accumulation in Sediment (original) (raw)

Wetlands, and especially salt marshes, are well-known sinks of metals, which limit toxic amounts of metals from entering the food chain. This study investigated metal concentrations (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in a highly urbanised estuary, and compared vegetated rhizosediment (Salicornia tegetaria, Spartina maritima, and Zostera capensis) with bare sediment, in a depositional and non-depositional site, in the intertidal zone of the Swartkops Estuary. The samples were collected at two sites along the middle and lower reaches of the estuary and analysed using a Total X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer. It was found that the rhizosediment contained more metals and that metal concentrations in the sediment decreased as follows: S. tegetaria > S. maritima > Z. capensis > bare sediment. Although metal accumulation was similar in bare sediment for the depositional (Site B) and the non-depositional site (Site A), the rhizosediment displayed higher metal accumulation in the de...

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