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Trace elements of the soil–plant systems in subtropical karst and clasolite areas in Guilin, Guangxi, China

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Abstract

The transfer processes of trace elements within the soil–plant system is part of the biochemical cycling of chemical elements—representing a flow of elements from nonliving to living compartments in biosphere. Trace elements distribution in soil–plant system is a key issue in assessing their mobility and availability in soils. This study was conducted to assess the transfer mechanism of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), strontium (Sr) and zinc (Zn) in eleven natural plants and associated rhizosphere soils in subtropical karst and clasolite areas, Southwestern China, using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. Trace elements except Sr are rich in the limestone soil of the karst area, whereas they are dispersed in the red soil of the clasolite area. Moreover, their active rates in the limestone soil are greatly reduced, compared with the red soil. Contents of trace elements in plants are both affected by the geochemical and biogeochemical characteristics of trace elements. Distributions of trace elements are related to plants’ physiological characteristics, trace elements’ chemical characteristics, and geological background as well.

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Acknowledgements

This paper was supported by the Natural Scientific Foundation for Young Scientists of China Grant No. 41402326; Natural Scientific Foundation for Young Scientists of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China under Grant No. 2013GXNSFBA019217; the Natural Scientific Foundation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China under Grant No. Guikehe14125008-2-1; the China Geological Survey under Grant Nos. 1212010911062, S-2010-KP03- 07-02 and 12120113005300; the Ministry of Land and Resources under Grant No. 201211086-05 and Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS under Grant No. 2012005. We would like to thank the reviewers who read the first draft of this paper for their constructive comments that helped improve the manuscript. Thanks are also to Erin Lynch and YikYu Au for their help in polishing the language of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karst Dynamics Laboratory, MLR and Guangxi, Institute of Karst Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Guilin, 541004, China

    Hui Yang, Meigui Lu & Jianhua Cao

  2. The International Research Center on Karst (IRCK) under the Auspices of UNESCO, Guilin, 541004, China

    Hui Yang & Jianhua Cao

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  1. Hui Yang
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  2. Meigui Lu
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Correspondence to Jianhua Cao.

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Yang, H., Lu, M. & Cao, J. Trace elements of the soil–plant systems in subtropical karst and clasolite areas in Guilin, Guangxi, China. Environ Earth Sci 73, 6259–6269 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3849-6

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