Trace Elements in Dominant Species of the Fenghe River, China: Their Relations to Environmental Factors

The distribution of trace elements (TEs) in water, sediment, riparian soil and dominant plants was investigated in the Fenghe River, Northwestern China. The Fenghe River ecosystem was polluted with Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb. There was a high pollution risk in the midstream and downstream regions and the risk level for Cd was much higher than that of the other elements. The average values of bioconcentration coefficient for Cd and Zn were 2.21 and 1.75, respectively, indicating a large accumulation of Cd and Zn in the studied species. With broad ecological amplitudes, Portulaca oleracea L., Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant., Phragmites communis Trin., and Polygonum hydropiper L. had the greatest TE concentrations in aboveground and belowground biomass of the studied species and were potential biomonitors or phytoremediators for the study area. Multivariate techniques including cluster analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and canonical correspondence analysis were used to analyze the relations between TE concentrations in plants and various environmental factors. The soil element concentration is the main factor determining the accumulation of TEs in plants. The co‐release behavior of common pollutants and TEs drove the accumulation of Hg, Cd, and As in the studied plants. Significant enrichment of some elements in the Fenghe River has led to a decline in the biodiversity of plants.Core Ideas Trace elements posed high ecological risk in the Fenghe River system. Four native species could be used for phytoremediation. Dissolved NH3–N, NO3–N, TN, and TP drove elemental uptake by plants. Soil elements and soil pH had major effect on plants uptake of elements. Plant diversity was sensitive to the high level trace elements in the water habitats.