The Concentration of Some Heavy Metals in Phragmites Australis and Ceratophyllum. Demersum Plants in the Euphrates River, Iraq
Shahaed Salman Obaid AL-khazraji, Prof. Hassan Jameel Jawad Al-Fatlawy
The current study was conducted monthly in four stations in the waters of the Euphrates River in the area extending from AL-Hindiyah District Project to AL-Kifl district in central Iraq for the period from November to August of the year 2023. The study aimed to measure some of the chemical and physical characteristics of the water of the Euphrates River and to examine the study population of Phragmites australis and C. demersum plants, as well as to evaluate the concentrations of four heavy metals: cadmium, lead, mercury and zinc in the plants studied.the physical and chemical included temperatures of air and water , pH, electrical conductivity, Total dissolved solids, total hardness ,calcium hardness ,the magnesium hardness , Chloride). The current study determined the effect of monthly variations of the months and stations of the study on four heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Hg, and Zn) in P. australis and C. demersum. The highest concentration of cadmium was recorded in the P. australis, and the lowest concentration in the C. demersum, while the plant type displayed significant differences, as the highest concentration of cadmium was recorded in the C. demersum, with a statistically significant difference during the study months and stations from what was recorded in P. australis. As for lead, the highest concentration was recorded in the C. demersum), while no concentration both plants. As for Hg, there was a significant effect of locations and months, as the highest concentration was recorded in the P. australis, while the concentration was not recorded in several stations and in different months. In context of zinc, the results indicated that its highest concentration was in the C. demersum, and the lowest concentration in the P. australis plant. There was an effect of plant type, with a statistically significant difference, as the highest value was recorded in the C. demersum, while the concentration of zinc was lower in the reed plant.
Keywords: Heavy metal. C. demersum, P. australis, Lead, Zinc, Cadmium
