Pellia endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort. Liverwort with a Potential for Water Purification

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess accumulation ability of the liverwort of Pellia endiviifolia Dicks. Dum. in relation with macro- and trace elements uptake from stream water within the mid-forest headwater ecosystem. The research was carried out under conditions of limited impact of anthropogenic factors, which allowed assessing the nutrient needs and providing information on the accumulative possibilities of P. endiviifolia. The concentrations of 12 elements (N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, Al, and Sr) in thalli of liverwort collected from three sites in northern Poland were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and by microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The thalli of the tested liverwort accumulated, on average, 2502.28 mmolc/kg of macro- and trace elements, with macronutrients accounting for 96.22% of this pool. Nitrogen constituted 40.3% of this sum, phosphorus 4.9%, potassium 38.1%, magnesium 5.0%, calcium 12.1%, and trace elements 3.78% of this sum. Among trace elements, the dominant share was represented by iron 56.30%, manganese 24.80%, and aluminum 16.95%, and the share of other elements was lower than 1%. Accumulation in thalli of P. endiviifolia high concentrations of iron and manganese confirms the potential use this species in the processes purification of waters contaminated with iron and manganese compounds. Based on the results of the research, it was found that the amount of accumulated Mg, Fe, and Cu was influenced by environmental conditions, whereas N, P, K, Ca, Zn, Ni, Mn, Al, and Sr rather by species-related features than environmental factors.