Factor analysis of the elemental composition of Pteridium aquilinum from serpentine and granite soils as a tool in the classification of relations between this composition and the type of parent rock in the Ślęża Massif in Lower Silesia, Poland

Abstract

Concentrations of the elements N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Mo, Cd and Pb were measured in serpentine and granite soils and in the fern Pteridium aquilinum sampled from the Śleza Massif in Lower Silesia, Poland. The serpentine soils were typical for serpentine soils in general with deficiency of K and Ca and excess of Mg, Ni and Cr. The principal component analysis (PCA) ordination based on the matrix of concentrations of elements in plants growing on serpentine and granite soils enabled the identification of the parent material from which ferns in this study were collected. This method indicated that the ferns from granite soils were distinguished by higher concentrations of Mo and Pb, while those from serpentine soils were distinguished by higher concentrations of Mg, Ni, Cr and Co. These differences in bioaccumulation reflect the higher concentrations of total and plant-available forms of Mg, Ni, Cr, Co in serpentinite and the higher concentrations of total Mo and total and plant-available Pb in granites as reported in literature. The different parent material types in the Śleza Massif on which the investigated soils were developed influence the concentration and type of elements accumulated in P. aquilinum.