Variation of some heavy metal concentrations in morus alba l. Leaves and branches due to traffic density

Today, the increase in population and in the number of vehicles in the cities has increased the air pollution to such an extent that it has become one of the most important problems of the modern age. Many pollutants emerge from city roads due to exhaust gases, car wheels and vehicle wear, and these pollution sources adversely affect the development and health of living beings inhabiting the surrounding areas. The heavy metals tend to bioaccumulate and some of them have toxic effects even at very low concentrations. Therefore, it is utmost important to monitor the change in heavy metal concentration. Usually, plants are used as biomonitors in determining heavy metal pollution. This study tries to determine the possibilities of using Morus alba as a biomonitor; Morus alba is frequently used in landscaping. For this purpose, concentrations of Ni, Cd, Zn, Fe, K, Mg, and Mn elements have been determined by analyzing the leaves and branches of Morus alba collected from areas with no, little, and heavy traffic.