Chemical Composition of Tissues of Syringa vulgaris L. and Soil Features in Abandoned Cemeteries

Abstract

Abandoned anthropogenic sites are transformed when they come into use. In the present study, such objects were abandoned Evangelical cemeteries located in the Land of the Great Mazurian Lakes (northern Poland). This study aims to compare the concentrations of selected major (Ca, Na, Mg, Al, Fe) and potentially toxic elements (Zn, Cd, Pb) in the roots, leaves, and branches of Syringa vulgaris and buried necrosols and unburied soils in which this species grows. The soils analysed differ in their profile structure; in the case of burial necrosols, anthropogenic layers are present, while Brunic Arenosol has a natural horizon arrangement. Regarding pH, the soils analysed are characterised in the weakly acidic (6.6–6.8) to alkaline (7.2–8.6) range, both in KCl and H2O. Total phosphorus has high values in the humus and anthropogenic horizons, especially at coffin sites (Rudówka Mała: layer of Ccoffin—759 mg∙kg−1; Szymonka—844 mg∙kg−1). Necrosols are characterised by a slightly higher variation in major element content than soils outside the burial area. The highest elemental content in Syringa vulgaris is accumulated in leaves and roots. Potassium (K) has the highest content in the studied tissues, and cadmium (Cd) is the lowest. The study showed no significant differences in heavy metal accumulation for plants directly associated with necrosols and soils formed outside of burials, which is confirmed by analyses of environmental indicators. The study showed that plant chemistry is more influenced by the soil substrate and soil-forming process than the soil anthropogenisation associated with burials. There was no significant effect of burials on the chemical composition of individual parts of Syringa vulgaris.