Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology

Mendeley  

Zotero  

Marjovvi A, Soleimani M, Mirghaffari N, Karimzadeh H R, Khajeddin S J. Biomonitoring of Potentially Toxic Elements Using Dendrochemistry in Some Areas of Isfahan Province.. Iranian Journal of Applied Ecology 2024; 13 (1) :79-93
URL: http://ijae.iut.ac.ir/article-1-1230-en.html

Environmental pollution is one of the consequences of unsustainable development, which has been intensified by population growth, urban expansion, industrialization, and the consumption of fossil fuels. This research aims to monitor potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in some areas of Isfahan province using a dendrochemistry approach, which analyzes the annual core rings of Tehran pine tree (Pinus elderica). Trees with a minimum age of about 50 years were selected in three regions including Isfahan, Zarinshahr and Ardestan, and then sampling was conducted on three trees in each station using an increment borer. The samples were separated with a time interval of 10 years and analyzed to measure the elements with potential toxicity. The thickness of the growth core rings of plants in recent decades has decreased by 33, 26 and 22% in Ardestan, Zarinshahr and Isfahan, respectively, compared to earlier decades. In most samples, the enrichment factor calculated from tree rings in the two locations of Isfahan and Zarinshahr was greater than one and an increasing trend over time was observed for Fe, Zn and Cr elements. The higher concentration of Fe and Pb in tree rings of Zarinshahr and Isfahan, especially in the most recent decade, could be related to the existence and expantion  of industrial activities such as metal smelting and casting.