Railway Infrastructure as a Substitute Habitat for Valuable Medicinal Plant Species Using the Example of Bearberry <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i>

Railway Infrastructure as a Substitute Habitat for Valuable Medicinal Plant Species Using the Example of Bearberry <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i>

The secondary, substitute habitats are becoming more important for the survival of many valuable plant species, including medicinal plants—for example, bearberry <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i>. The aim of the conducted research is to compare the ability of <i>A. uva-ursi</i>...

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Main Authors: Barbara Bacler-Żbikowska, Agnieszka Hutniczak, Wojciech Bierza, Jawdat Bakr, Agnieszka Błońska, Anna Piekarska-Stachowiak, Paweł Olszewski, Anna Pieprzyca, Piotr Kucharski, Adam Stebel, Gabriela Woźniak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
rare and protected species
medicinal plant species
species diversity
bioaccumulation factor (BAF)
heavy metals
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/11/2739
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Summary:The secondary, substitute habitats are becoming more important for the survival of many valuable plant species, including medicinal plants—for example, bearberry <i>Arctostaphylos uva-ursi</i>. The aim of the conducted research is to compare the ability of <i>A. uva-ursi</i> to accumulate heavy metals in leaves from railways (anthropogenic substitute habitat) and the natural habitats (pine forests). We measured the concentration of five heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in plant material and in the soil. The bioaccumulation factor was also calculated. Moreover, we measured biotic factors including <i>A. uva-ursi</i> height and abundance, along with the plant diversity indices, in the investigated plots. The presented results reveal that (1) none of the parameters concerning the content of the selected heavy metals described in the currently applicable legal acts were exceeded, (2) <i>A. uva-ursi</i> does not show the potential for heavy metal accumulation, except for zinc and partially mercury, (3) its individuals in the natural habitats are lower, (4) the abundance (percentage cover) of <i>A. uva-ursi</i> is the lowest in the natural habitat, and (5) the value of the Shannon–Wiener diversity index is the highest in the vegetation patches with <i>A. uva-ursi</i> developed in natural habitats.
ISSN:2073-4395

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