Heavy metals uptake ability from water by the Himalayan alder growing in Riparian habitat of Sino Japanese regions in Pakistan

摘要

The excess amount of heavy metal in soil pose a serious risk for the life and food chain of living beings . The recommended and feasible procedure to combat heavy metal is plantation of trees with excellent capacity of accumulation. Alnus nitida is a plant species grown on the banks of rivers and streams in western Himalayas and Hindu Kush region of the Sino-Japanese belt. It plays a significant role in accumulation of heavy metals from water. In current study it was explored in the west from Bajaur to Kashmir in the east. For heavy metals analysis shoot, leaves Root and Bark of Alnus nitida were washed thoroughly under tap water and then placed in an 81 °C oven to dry it for about 5 minutes. After acid digestion plant material were put in falcon tube to raise the level of sample to 40 ml through distilled water. The accumulation of heavy metal in Himalayan alder was assessed via atomic absorption spectroscopy. The Heavy Metals analyses were carried out to find the bioaccumulation ability of Alder by using standard formulas of bio concentration factor (BCF), Translocation Factor (TF) and Biological Accumulation Coefficient (BAC). It was observed an efficient accumulator of all the heavy metals as revealed by the values of BCF in shoots, BCF in roots and also the TF. Himalayan Alder has greatly declined through out in its habitat as a result of drought, developmental projects, deforestation and other anthropogenic activities. Current study can provide a baseline for further comprehensive studies heavy metals studies of other such species.