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. 2025 Jun 24;197(7):801.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-025-14201-4.

Which trace elements are accumulated in fronds of the Athyrium filix-femina fern? a study from the Czech Republic

Ivan Suchara  1 , Václav Procházka  2 , Julie Sucharová  1 , Marie Holá  1
Affiliations

Which trace elements are accumulated in fronds of the Athyrium filix-femina fern? a study from the Czech Republic

Ivan Suchara et al. Environ Monit Assess. .

Abstract

A screening test using XRF spectroscopy was done to map element concentrations in fronds of the Athyrium filix-femina fern growing at 244 coniferous forest plots across the Czech Republic. In the next step, 45 elements in fronds of the ferns coming from selected sites with contrasting geological and climatic conditions were determined using prevalently ICP-OES and ICP-MS methods. To our knowledge, such a number of elements analyzed is unprecedented in literature data of this important fern species. Element contents of forest floor humus, topsoil and subsoil from the same sites were adopted from previously performed analyses. To estimate element uptake and accumulation by ferns, the element distribution in fern fronds was correlated with that of soil covers and with selected site-specific factors. Bioconcentration and enrichment factors referred to the element contents in forest floor humus and soil were used for estimation of fern abilities to accumulate elements in fronds. Besides accumulation of macronutrients, fern fronds moderately accumulated Ba, Cd, Hg, Mo, Mn, Ni, Zn and mainly lanthanides (REEs). Only several of the trace elements concentrated in granites (Rb, Cs, Be, Tl, U) have significant positive correlation between contents in fronds and those in mineral soil. Anthropogenic pollution was mainly relevant for Fe in the Ostrava industrial region.

Keywords: Athyrium filix-femina; Bioconcentration factors; Element accumulation; Enrichment factors; Lanthanides (REE).

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: All authors have read, understood and have complied as applicable with the statement on “Ethical responsibilities of Authors” as found in the Instructions for Authors. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Distribution of selected 35 sampling plots of AFF in a simplified geological map of the Czech Republic. b Map of Si content in fronds from all sites, determined by XRF. c Map of Fe contents determined by XRF and corrected by a simple linear function according to Fe determination by OES in 35 overlapping samples
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Distribution of selected 35 sampling plots of AFF in a simplified geological map of the Czech Republic. b Map of Si content in fronds from all sites, determined by XRF. c Map of Fe contents determined by XRF and corrected by a simple linear function according to Fe determination by OES in 35 overlapping samples
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cluster analysis (Ward’s method, 1-Pearson r, Distance Linkage) dendrogram for the medians of element contents in AFF at 35 sampling sites. Medians used were log10 transformed
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Cluster analysis (Ward’s method, 1-Pearson r, Distance Linkage) dendrogram for 35 sampling sites of AFF with the given medians of element contents. Medians used were log10 transformed
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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