MARSELA ALIKAJ, FERDI BRAHUSHI
Department of Agro Environment and Ecology, Agricultural University of Tirana, Tirana, Albania
Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, “Eqrem Çabej” University, Gjirokastra, Albania
Abstract
Macrophytes are considered as important component of the aquatic ecosystem since they serve as food source for aquatic invertebrates and can act as efficient accumulator of heavy metals. Current study assesses heavy metals in the sediments and macrophytes of the Viroi lake in Gjirokastra district (south of Albania) in order to find out their possible relationships. Heavy metals like Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb were analyzed in sediments and in dominant macrophytes of the lake. Contamination factors (CF) and degree of contamination (Cdeg) of the sediments with heavy metals were calculated. Obtained data showed that concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments were in following order Fe>Ni>Zn>Cr>Cu>Pb>Cd; and these sediments results with low or moderate contamination. The aquatic plants of the lake were not equally effective on removing of heavy metals. The concentrations of heavy metals in water plants were higher than the values of WHO standard. Furthermore, by using bioconcentration factor (BCF), were indentified aquatic plants as “accumulator” of heavy metals.
Keywords: macrophyte, water, heavy metal, contamination factor, bioconcentration factor.
