The role of heavy metals and toxic materials in the physiological ecology of submersed macrophytes

• Published in: Aquatic botany Vol. 41; no. 1-3; pp. 87 - 109
• Main Author: GUILIZZONI, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier 01.08.1991
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on plants and fungi; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth; Pesticides; Environmental factor; Biological indicator; Submersion; Review; Ecophysiology; Polychlorobiphenyl; Heavy metal; Pollutant; Phytotoxicity; Seasonal variation; Water pollution; Aquatic plant; Biological accumulation; Photosynthesis
• ISSN: 0304-3770; 1879-1522
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3770(91)90040-C

An overview of, and information from, a number of publications dealing with the availability, uptake rates and accumulation of metals (e.g. Fe, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb) and organic substances (e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and pesticides) by submersed and floating macrophytes are provided. Differences in metal enrichment are reported to be dependent mainly on the plant species, the seasonal growth rate changes, the tissue age, and metal or compound type. A brief review of the possible sites of absorption and accumulation of substances by the macrophytes is given and the role played by the roots and shoots is discussed. A higher concentration of metals in the plants usually, but not always, indicates a proportional increase in element levels in the water and/or sediments. Consequently, the implications for the use of macrophytes as phytogeochemical indicators for metals and other toxic materials in water bodies are also evaluated. Competition between elements and factors, indirectly influencing metal uptake such as, for example, light conditions and eutrophication, seem to limit in some cases the utility of using macrophytes as bio-indicators.