Assessment of heavy metal content in Paliurus spina-christi leaves and soils near an abandoned gold mine: A case study from Erzincan, Türkiye

This study was conducted in an abandoned gold-mining area, located in the İliç district of Erzincan Province, in eastern Türkiye. Three localities were selected from areas close to mining area. The highest Zn, Cu, and Pb concentrations in both soil and leaf tissues were found at locality 3, the nearest site to the mine tailing pond. So, Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations in all soil and leaf samples of Paliurus spina-christi were mainly from tailing releases. Statistical analysis showed that the concentrations of Zn, Mn, Cu, and Pb in soil and leaf samples varied depending on both the group factor (soil vs. leaf) and the locality factor (localities 1, 2, and 3). Negative Igeo values in the present study indicate the absence of contamination by the studied heavy metals. For all elements, the concentrations measured in leaf samples were many times higher than those in soil. In particular, Mn concentration in the leaves of P. spina-christi collected from locality 3 exceeded the threshold value and reached toxic levels. Very high BAC values for Zn and Mn (BAC>10), and high BAC values for Cu (from 1 to 10) suggest that P. spina-christi can be used as a bioindicator species for monitoring pollution by these elements in local mining areas.