Heavy metal bioaccumulation in selected medicinal plants collected from Khetri copper mines and comparison with those collected from fertile soil in Haridwar,India

Heavy metal distribution in medicinal plants is gaining importance not only as an alternative medicine, but also for possible concern due to effects of metal toxicity. The present study has been focused on emphasizing the heavy metal status and bioaccumulation factors of V, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Se (essential metals) and Cr, Ni, Cd, As and Pb (potentially toxic metals) in medicinal plants grown under two different environmental conditions e.g., near to Khetri copper mine and those in fertile soils of Haridwar, both in India, using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (relative method) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The copper levels in the medicinal plants from Khetri were found to be 3-4 folds higher (31.6–76.5 mg kg^?1) than those from Haridwar samples (7.40–15.3 mg kg^?1), which is correlated with very high copper levels (763 mg kg^?1) in Khetri soil. Among various heavy metals, Cr (2.60–5.92 mg kg^?1), Cd (1.47–2.97 mg kg^?1) and Pb (3.97–6.63 mg kg^?1) are also higher in concentration in the medicinal plants from Khetri. The essential metals like Mn (36.4–69.3 mg kg^?1), Fe (192–601 mg kg^?1), Zn (24.9–49.9 mg kg^?1) and Se (0.13–0.91 mg kg^?1) and potentially toxic metals like Ni (3.09–9.01 mg kg^?1) and As (0.41–2.09 mg kg^?1) did not show much variations in concentration in the medicinal plants from both Khetri and Haridwar. The medicinal plants from Khetri, e.g., Ocimum sanctum, Cassia fistula, Withania somnifera and Azadirachta Indica were found rich in Ca and Mg contents while Aloe barbadensis showed moderately high Ca and Mg. Higher levels of Ca-Mg were found to correlate with Zn (except Azadirachta Indica). The bioaccumulation factors (BAFS) of the heavy metals were estimated to understand the soil-to-plant transfer pattern of the heavy metals. Significantly lower BAF values of Cu and Cr were found in the medicinal plants from Khetri, indicating majority fraction of these metals are precipitated and were immobilized species unsuitable for plant uptake. Overall, Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) showed very high metal bioaccumulation.     

Biogeography of soil nematodes

Biogeography is the study of distributions of organisms, plus an attempt to explain the distributions. Two approaches to explanation of biogeographic patterns may be termed ecological biogeography and historical biogeography. Most nematologists have taken the ecological approach, with a goal of determining why a particular species is restricted to certain areas, and not present in nearby areas. Historical biogeography is based on the premise that present-day patterns of taxa result largely from the history of the taxa and of the areas of the earth in which they have lived. Nematologists generally adhere to the classic view of dispersal in which a center of origin is postulated and long-range dispersal over barriers is invoked. The dispersal mechanism is often assumed to be man himself. Challenges to this approach exist in the form of methods which infer the biogeographic history from phylogeny. Vicariance biogeographers postulate fragmentation of widespread ancestral biotas, resulting from geological, climatic or other disjunctions, and further allopatric speciation among descendant biotas. Distributions amenable to general explanation can be distinguished from those which require unique dispersal events. Biogeography of soil nematodes is hampered by present limitations in systematics, including our inability to determine species limits with certainty.     

Contaminants in Muscle of Plaice and Halibut Collected From the St. Lawrence Estuary and Northwest Atlantic

Levels of aromatic hydrocarbons in muscle or plaice and halibut were determined by fluorescence, using the chrysene standard, as recommended by the International Oceanographic Commision, for the analysis of PAH in environmental extracts. Concentrations were highest in muscle of halibut collected at the most contaminated, nearshore site, in the Saguenay Fjord of the St. Lawrence Estuary, compared to other locations further from shore. Although concentrations of fluorescing compounds were not statistically different in plaice, the saturated hydrocarbons displayed unquestionably more biodegradation, with a decrease of n-alkanes and increase of branched aliphatics, at the less contaminated site. Synchronous fluorescence indicated the presence of benzenoid and biphenyl hydrocarbons in the extracted mixtures, while GC-MS-TIC analysis tentatively identified the presence of a series of benzenoid (alkyl benzenes), chlorinated (PCB and DDE), N (trialkylamines) and O (phenols) hydrocarbons. These anthropogenic compounds could derive from petroleum products, surfactants and common products used in industry and households. This study emphasizes the importance of a multispectroscopic approach when investigating complex environmental mixtures.     

Accumulation of Biophilic Elements in the Needles of Picea Species in Natural and Urbanized Ecosystems of Siberia and Central Asia in Relation to the Assessment of Environmental Quality

Variation in the content of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe has been analyzed in the needles of 19 spruce species growing in the natural and urbanized ecosystems of Siberia and Central Asia. The results have shown that similarity in the content of biophilic elements in one-year-old needles of different species is conditioned by biochemical processes, which confirms the status of these species as passive bioindicators of environmental quality. The contents of trace elements in perennial needles, except color variations of chlorophyll, deserve further study as prospective indicators of environmental quality.