Biological Systems: Theory and Innovation

Biogeochemical cycling of nickel in the hornbeam forest ecosystems of the Middle Dnipro Region

Dmytro Lukashov, Tetiana Tesolkina
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Abstract

Heavy metals, particularly Ni, are priority pollutants of atmospheric air. Urban green spaces and forest ecosystems play a crucial role in reducing pollution levels. Нowever, they themselves suffer from adverse impacts that induce phytotoxic effects, diminish the resilience of vegetation to pests, diseases, and other negative factors. This study aimed to assess the balance of the biogeochemical cycle of Ni in forest ecosystems to determine the consequences of pollution on vegetation within urbanised environments under varying anthropogenic pressures. Hornbeam forests from two territories of the natural reserve fund of Ukraine were selected as model ecosystems of broad-leaved forests in the Middle Dnipro Region: Holosiivskyi National Nature Park (NNP) and the Kaniv Nature Reserve. The study conducted on these model ecosystems, the methods of atomic absorption spectrophotometry and ICP-OES spectrometry were employed to ascertain the characteristics of Ni accumulation in soils. An evaluation of Ni stocks in the phytomass of hornbeam forests was performed, along with an analysis of the dynamics of metal compound accumulation in the forest litter. Furthermore, Ni’s vertical migration rates were assessed using a lysimetric method, and the levels of metal compounds in the deposition process via atmospheric precipitation onto the hornbeam forests were determined. It has been established that the biogeochemical systems of Ni migration in the hornbeam forest of the Kaniv Nature Reserve are characterised by a balanced metal flow. The ecosystem of the hornbeam forest within the Holosiivskyi NNP exhibits an imbalance in the biogeochemical cycle of Ni. Consequently, in the functioning of the Ni biogeochemical cycle within the ecosystem of the Holosiivskyi NNP, the biological component of the “litter-soil-plant” system plays a crucial role, as Ni is actively absorbed by common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.) and accumulates in the phytomass. The ecosystem of the hornbeam forest of the Holosiivskyi NNP in the conditions of Kyiv is undergoing progressive Ni pollution, which is manifested in the active accumulation by vegetation, which must be taken into account when assessing the condition of existing green spaces and when designing new ones, choosing plants that are resistant to high concentrations of Ni

Keywords

soil; forest litter; leaf fall; atmospheric deposition; bioaccumulation; mineralisation; heavy metal migration

Suggested citation
Lukashov, D., & Tesolkina, T. (2024). Biogeochemical cycling of nickel in the hornbeam forest ecosystems of the Middle Dnipro Region. Biological Systems: Theory and Innovation, 15(3), 10-27. https://doi.org/10.31548/biologiya/3.2024.10
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