Water chestnut (Trapa natans): a food of ancient times or a bio-indicator of the modern world

Hanna Háda; Gábor Koncz; Katalin Jámbrik; Csaba Berta

doi:10.59258/hk.24063

Hanna Háda György Bessenyei Secondary Grammar School, Iskola square 2, 4600 Kisvárda, Hungary
Gábor Koncz Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (
Katalin Jámbrik Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (
Csaba Berta Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (

Keywords: Trapa natans, water chestnut, heavy metals, metals, Lake Tisza, ICP-MS

Abstract

This study investigates the bioaccumulation of metals in the Water chestnut’s seeds samples collected from different locations of Lake Tisza, Hungary. Aquatic macrophytes can absorb and accumulate pollutants from water and sediments, making them useful indicators of environmental contamination. The aim of this research is to measure the concentrations of selected metals in the collected seeds. By analyzing the differences between sampling sites, the study also evaluates the distribution of metals within the lake ecosystem and the potential of aquatic plants as indicators of environmental pollution.

Author Biographies

Hanna Háda, György Bessenyei Secondary Grammar School, Iskola square 2, 4600 Kisvárda, Hungary

Hanna Háda is an 11th-grade student at Bessenyei György Secondary Grammar School and Dormitory in Kisvárda, Hungary. She plans to continue her studies at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest. She participated in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, where she was awarded a special prize for her research achievements.

Gábor Koncz, Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (

Gábor KONCZ graduated from the University of Debrecen as a biologist-ecologist in 2007 and as a teacher of biology and environmental sciences in 2008. He completed his PhD studies in Environmental Sciences at the University of Debrecen and obtained his PhD degree in 2013. Since 2009, he has been working as a biology teacher at Bessenyei György Grammar School and Dormitory in Kisvárda. He is actively involved in talent development, science education, curriculum and textbook development, and environmental research. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Soil Biology Working Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Katalin Jámbrik, Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (

Katalin JÁMBRIK PhD graduated from the University of Debrecen as a biologist-ecologist in 2007 and as a secondary school teacher of biology and environmental sciences in 2008. She completed her PhD studies in Biological Sciences at the University of Debrecen and obtained her PhD degree in 2011. From 2004, she was actively involved in research and teaching activities at the Department of Botany, focusing on the effects of cyanobacterial toxins on aquatic plants and plant stress responses. Since 2006, she has been a member of the Botanical Section of the Hungarian Biological Society and has authored and co-authored several international scientific publications in the fields of plant physiology, aquatic ecology, and environmental biology. Since 2014, he has been working as a biology teacher at Bessenyei György Grammar School and Dormitory in Kisvárda

Csaba Berta, Department of Hydrobiology, University of Debrecen (MÉK), Böszörményi Street 138, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary (

CSABA BERTA graduated from the University of Debrecen with a degree in Hydrobiology in 2015. In 2020, he obtained a PhD degree in Environmental Science at the UD. Since 2023, he has been an assistant professor at the Department of Hydrobiology. His main research interests are hydrobiology, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and macrophytes. Mainly focusing on the environmental patterns in natural water bodies and the utilisation of species as bioindicators.

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