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<p>Heavy metals are significant contaminants in urban environments when present above permissible limits. Their atmospheric concentrations are closely linked to their levels in plants, making urban trees effective biomonitors. Different tree species vary in their ability to accumulate heavy metals based on morphological traits, pollution levels, and meteorological conditions. This study compares fifteen common tree species in industrial, residential, commercial, and control regions of Delhi, focusing on their capability to accumulate and mitigate five heavy metals, which are manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd). Among these metals, Pb and Cd exhibited the highest geoaccumulation and contamination across all sites. The industrial sites (1.12) showed the maximum Pollution load index (PLI) value, followed by the commercial (0.97), residential (0.85), and control (0.69)&#xa0;sites. <i>Millettia pinnata</i>, <i>Terminalia arjuna</i>, and <i>Ficus virens</i> are the most effective in accumulating Pb and Cd, with <i>Millettia pinnata</i> showing consistently high accumulation of Cd. Additionally, <i>Morus alba</i> and <i>Ficus religiosa</i> efficiently accumulate Pb, Zn, and Cu. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis revealed that low coefficient of variation (CoV) values indicate a uniform contamination source, while higher CoV values show greater variability, suggesting localized pollution sources, which helps in estimating the true mean concentrations of metals and provides a basis for future environmental assessments and policy-making. From different analyses, the present study concluded that the commonly found tree species&#xa0;at polluted sites, such as <i>Morus alba</i>, <i>Ficus religiosa</i>, <i>Millettia pinnata</i>, <i>Terminalia arjuna</i>, and <i>Ficus virens</i>, are highly effective biomonitors and bioaccumulators of heavy metals, highlighting their potential for environmental monitoring and pollution mitigation strategies in urban areas.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>

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Urban Trees as Nature-Based Solutions for Heavy Metal Biomonitoring: A Comparative and Uncertainty Analysis Assessment

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月7日

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  • Mallika Vashist,
  • Santosh Kumar Singh,
  • Thangamani Vijaya Kumar

摘要

Heavy metals are significant contaminants in urban environments when present above permissible limits. Their atmospheric concentrations are closely linked to their levels in plants, making urban trees effective biomonitors. Different tree species vary in their ability to accumulate heavy metals based on morphological traits, pollution levels, and meteorological conditions. This study compares fifteen common tree species in industrial, residential, commercial, and control regions of Delhi, focusing on their capability to accumulate and mitigate five heavy metals, which are manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd). Among these metals, Pb and Cd exhibited the highest geoaccumulation and contamination across all sites. The industrial sites (1.12) showed the maximum Pollution load index (PLI) value, followed by the commercial (0.97), residential (0.85), and control (0.69) sites. Millettia pinnata, Terminalia arjuna, and Ficus virens are the most effective in accumulating Pb and Cd, with Millettia pinnata showing consistently high accumulation of Cd. Additionally, Morus alba and Ficus religiosa efficiently accumulate Pb, Zn, and Cu. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis revealed that low coefficient of variation (CoV) values indicate a uniform contamination source, while higher CoV values show greater variability, suggesting localized pollution sources, which helps in estimating the true mean concentrations of metals and provides a basis for future environmental assessments and policy-making. From different analyses, the present study concluded that the commonly found tree species at polluted sites, such as Morus alba, Ficus religiosa, Millettia pinnata, Terminalia arjuna, and Ficus virens, are highly effective biomonitors and bioaccumulators of heavy metals, highlighting their potential for environmental monitoring and pollution mitigation strategies in urban areas.

Graphical Abstract