ANALYTICAL ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS POLYELEMENT DISTRIBUTION IN URBANIZED HYDROECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS: SPATIAL DIFFERENTIATION AND MIGRATION PATTERNS

This study assesses heavy metal polyelement distribution in the urbanized hydroecosystem of the Kamyanka River within Zhytomyr city, Ukraine. Concentrations of Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, and Co were analyzed in water, bottom sediments, and the aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria spiralis L. using atomic emission spectrometry. The spatial entropy analysis, employing Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H′ = 0.75-1.55), evenness index (E = 0.47-0.98), and relative organization index (R = 0.17-0.64), revealed metal-specific distribution patterns across ecosystem compartments. Iron showed the most uniform distribution (E = 0.98), copper exhibited more concentrated patterns (E = 0.47), while manganese demonstrated the highest level of organization (R = 0.64). Bioaccumulation coefficients (ranging from 7,333 to 326,667) and sedimentation coefficients (ranging from 1,733 to 19,310) quantified the metal transfer processes between ecosystem components. This spatial differentiation analysis provides a novel framework for understanding heavy metal migration patterns in urbanized river systems and can inform monitoring approaches targeted at specific metals based on their unique distribution characteristics.