Comparison of foliar and stem bioaccumulation of heavy metals by Corsican pines in the Mount Olympus area of Cyprus.

Early anthropogenic metalliferous activity on the island of Cyprus is outlined. Samples of Corsican pines, obtained from both a largely uncontaminated (control) and a metalliferous part of the Mount Olympus area of Cyprus, were analyzed by means of X-ray microanalysis. A total of 21 ions were recorded from the samples; in the contaminated site manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, and tin were bioaccumulated by the needles, while copper, zinc, and gold were bioaccumulated by the stems. Some elements, e.g., copper, were more positively bioaccumulated than others. Some implications of the findings are discussed. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.