HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN SEVERAL WETLANDS SITUATED ON THREE BULGARIAN DANUBE TRIBUTARIES
BORISLAVA GYOSHEVA* , RADOSTINA HRISTOVA, VLADIMIR VALCHEV
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
* Corresponding author: borislavagyosheva@gmail.com
Keywords: heavy metals, Danube River wetlands, macrophytes
Abstract: The heavy metal contents of different aquatic ecosystem components were studied in several wetlands along the Danube River. The sampling stations included three oxbows and downstream parts of two Danube tributaries. Concentrations of the elements Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd were determined in water, sediment and plant samples. The study was carried out in April and August 2016. As expected, sediments contained the highest amounts of heavy metals. Water samples contained the lowest concentrations of the investigated elements. Notably, the plant samples from the main macrophyte species were the richest in zinc, followed by copper, lead, and cadmium.