The role of afforestation species as a driver of Hg accumulation in organic horizons of forest soils from a Mediterranean mountain area in SW Europe

Forest areas are a primary sink of atmospheric mercury (Hg) within terrestrial ecosystems, whereas forest vegetation plays a key role in atmospheric Hg transfer to soil horizons. This study assessed variations in total Hg contents (HgT) and accumulation (HgRes) in the soil organic horizons of a fore...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2022-06, Vol.827, p.154345-154345, Article 154345
Main Authors: Méndez-López, M., Gómez-Armesto, A., Alonso-Vega, F., Pontevedra-Pombal, X., Fonseca, F., de Figueiredo, T., Arias-Estévez, M., Nóvoa-Muñoz, J.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
C/N
Forest floor
Humus layers
Mercury
Mercury pools
Tree species
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Forest areas are a primary sink of atmospheric mercury (Hg) within terrestrial ecosystems, whereas forest vegetation plays a key role in atmospheric Hg transfer to soil horizons. This study assessed variations in total Hg contents (HgT) and accumulation (HgRes) in the soil organic horizons of a forest area in NE Portugal, where post-wildfire afforestation led to the substitution of the native deciduous species (Quercus pyrenaica) by fast-growing coniferous species (Pseudotsuga menziesii and Pinus nigra). The study also evaluated, for each species, the links between Hg contents and other biophilic elements of soil organic matter (C, N, S) present in organic subhorizons (OL, OF, OH). Mean HgT in the organic horizons of the different tree species follow the sequence: P. nigra (88 μg kg−1) < Q.pyrenaica (101 μg kg−1)
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154345