Evaluation and Source Analysis of Plant Heavy Metal Pollution in Kalamaili Mountain Nature Reserve

Plants serve as vital components of ecosystems, with their contamination status acting as sensitive indicators of environmental pollution. Therefore, the precise assessment of plant heavy metal contamination and source identification are crucial for regional ecological conservation and sustainable development. This study investigated heavy metal pollution in four characteristic plant species (<i>Anabasis aphylla</i> L., <i>Alhagi camelorum</i> Fisch., <i>Reaumuria songonica</i> (PalL)Maxim., and <i>Haloxylon ammodendron</i> (C. A. Mey.) Bunge.) within the Kalamaili Mountain Nature Reserve, employing comprehensive methodologies including pollution indices, bioconcentration factors (BCFs), absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR), and the random forest model (RF). The key findings revealed the following: The soil exhibited severe Cd and Hg contamination. The plant Cr concentrations exceeded standard limits by 31.89 to 147 fold. The Pb, Hg, and As content in plants showed significant differences. The plants displayed differential metal enrichment capacities, ranked as Cr (BCF = 3.28) > Hg (1.22) > Cd (0.92) > Cu (0.25) > Zn (0.15) > Pb (0.125) > As (0.125), highlighting Cr, Hg, and Cd as priority ecological hazards. Complex interactions were observed, with <i>Reaumuria songonica</i> (PalL)Maxim. showing strong Cd soil-plant correlation (r = 0.78), whereas <i>Alhagi camelorum</i> Fisch. demonstrated negative associations (Cd: r = -0.21). APCS-MLR identified mining/smelting as primary contributors to Cd (63.49%), Zn (55.66%), and Cr (45.51%), while transportation dominated Pb emissions (72.92%). Mercury pollution originated from mixed sources (56.18%), likely involving atmospheric deposition, and RF modeling corroborated these patterns, confirming industrial and transportation synergies for Cd, Zn, Cr, Cu, Hg, and As, with Pb predominantly linked to vehicular emissions. This multidisciplinary approach provides scientific evidence for establishing heavy metal monitoring systems and formulating targeted remediation strategies in arid ecologically fragile regions.