Bismuth in a Congested Cinquefoil (Potentilla acervata Sojak) in Natural–Technogenic Landscapes of the Sherlova Gora Mining District

Abstract

The bismuth distribution was studied in the landscape of the Sherlova Gora ore district and in the organs of congested cinquefoil (Potentilla acervata Sojak). The bismuth content in all landscape components is much higher than its average content in the Earth’s crust, soils and plants. In soils of the Sherlova Gora ore district, its average content is 95.11 mg/kg, which is 475.5 times higher than the average content in soils. The bismuth content in organs of the congested cinquefoil is higher than its average content at all examined sites, while its biological absorption coefficient does not depend on the bulk content in soils and technosoils. The accumulation of bismuth by different organs of congested cinquefoil (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, partly seeds) sharply differs. Bismuth concentrations increase in the following order: roots → flowers → stems → leaves. The root system of the cinquefoil has a weak barrier relative to bismuth.