Cadmium-induced colony disintegration of duckweed (Lemna paucicostata Hegelm.) and as biomarker of phytotoxicity

Biomonitoring of heavy metals and their phytoremediation by duckweeds: Advances and prospects

Heavy metals (HMs) contamination of water bodies severely threatens human and ecosystem health. There is growing interest in the use of duckweeds for HMs biomonitoring and phytoremediation due to their fast growth, low cultivation costs, and excellent HM uptake efficiency. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge on duckweeds and their suitability for HM biomonitoring and phytoremediation. Duckweeds have been used for phytotoxicity assays since the 1930s. Some toxicity tests based on duckweeds have been listed in international guidelines. Duckweeds have also been recognized for their ability to facilitate HM phytoremediation in aquatic environments. Large-scale screening of duckweed germplasm optimized for HM biomonitoring and phytoremediation is still essential. We further discuss the morphological, physiological, and molecular effects of HMs on duckweeds. However, the existing data are clearly insufficient, especially in regard to dissection of the transcriptome, metabolome, proteome responses and molecular mechanisms of duckweeds under HM stresses. We also evaluate the influence of environmental factors, exogenous substances, duckweed community composition, and HM interactions on their HM sensitivity and HM accumulation, which need to be considered in practical application scenarios. Finally, we identify challenges and propose approaches for improving the effectiveness of duckweeds for bioremediation from the aspects of selection of duckweed strain, cultivation optimization, engineered duckweeds. We foresee great promise for duckweeds as phytoremediation agents, providing environmentally safe and economically efficient means for HM removal. However, the primary limiting issue is that so few researchers have recognized the outstanding advantages of duckweeds. We hope that this review can pique the interest and attention of more researchers.

Presence of microbiome decreases fitness and modifies phenotype in the aquatic plant Lemna minor

Plants live in close association with microbial organisms that inhabit the environment in which they grow. Much recent work has aimed to characterize these plant-microbiome interactions, identifying those associations that increase growth. Although most work has focused on terrestrial plants, Lemna minor, a floating aquatic angiosperm, is increasingly used as a model in host-microbe interactions and many bacterial associations have been shown to play an important role in supporting plant fitness. However, the ubiquity and stability of these interactions as well as their dependence on specific abiotic environmental conditions remain unclear. Here, we assess the impact of a full L. minor microbiome on plant fitness and phenotype by assaying plants from eight natural sites, with and without their microbiomes, over a range of abiotic environmental conditions. We find that the microbiome systematically suppressed plant fitness, although the magnitude of this effect varied among plant genotypes and depended on the abiotic environment. Presence of the microbiome also resulted in phenotypic changes, with plants forming smaller colonies and producing smaller fronds and shorter roots. Differences in phenotype among plant genotypes were reduced when the microbiome was removed, as were genotype by environment interactions, suggesting that the microbiome plays a role in mediating the plant phenotypic response to the environment.

Large-scale screening and characterization of Cd accumulation and ultrastructural deformation in duckweed

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in soil, rivers and lakes is a serious problem due to the current industrialization and urbanization in China. Duckweeds are recognized as promising species for Cd phytoremediation. However, intraspecific variations in Cd accumulation in duckweeds remain largely unknown. In this study, 16 accessions selected from 39 geographically isolated duckweed strains were chosen to investigate their Cd remediation abilities. The optimal accession Landoltia punctata named 07SGZP01 (L. punctata 0701) was identified and shown to accumulate maximal Cd in the body while maintaining the highest biomass. The dominant variety treated with different Cd concentrations showed that the biomass of L. punctata 0701 was significantly lower than that of the control group (CK). Cd contents in L. punctata 0701 were substantially increased from 2511.1 to 30,641.01 mg kg^-1 with an increase in Cd treatment levels from 0.3 to 20 mg L^-1. The transport coefficient (TF) increased as Cd levels increased from 0.3 to 2 mg L^-1. In addition, the Cd content in leaves was greater than that in roots (TF > 1) within this Cd concentration range, whereas the Cd content in roots was greater than that in leaves (TF < 1) when the concentration of the Cd treatment was greater than 5 mg L^-1. The bioaccumulation factor (BCF) decreased significantly with increasing Cd levels (P < 0.05). The rate of Cd removal in the solution gradually decreased with increasing Cd concentrations, and the removal rate achieved the highest value (75%) when the Cd concentration was 0.5 mg L^-1. In addition, Cd treatment (2 mg L^-1) not only damaged the ultrastructure of L. punctata 0701, as characterized by chloroplast deformation and cell vacuolation but also caused most of the stomata to close, and the leaf epidermal cells were damaged and ruptured.

Chemical forms governing Cd tolerance and detoxification in duckweed (Landoltia punctata)

Duckweed (Landoltia punctata) is an ideal species to restore cadmium (Cd)-polluted waters due to its fast growth and easy harvesting. To understand its tolerance and detoxification mechanism, the Cd stress responses, subcellular Cd distribution and chemically bound Cd forms (especially protein-bound Cd) were surveyed in this study. L. punctata, a potential Cd bioremediation plant, was cultured hydroponically with Cd concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 2.0, and 5.0 mg L^-1 for 5 days. The results showed that the Cd content in L. punctata increased significantly as the Cd content increased. The majority of Cd was localized in the soluble fraction (23-55%) and the cell wall fraction (21-54%), and only 14-23% of Cd was located in cell organelles. Analysis of the Cd chemical forms demonstrated that the largest portion of Cd was found in 1 M NaCl extracts, followed by d-H₂O and 2% HAc extracts, indicating that Cd was mainly bound to different proteins. Albumin- and globulin-bound Cd forms were predominant, together accounting for over 80% of the total protein-bound Cd in L. punctata. These results indicate that cell wall immobilization and vacuolar dissociation of Cd are possible primary strategies for Cd biosorption and detoxification in L. punctata, which occur mainly through chemical forms changes, especially the binding of Cd to proteins.

Tolerance of Landoltia punctata to arsenate: an evaluation of the potential use in phytoremediation programs

Plants used in phytoremediation should accumulate and tolerate a specific pollutant. Here, we aimed at evaluating a possible arsenic (As) accumulation and mechanisms of tolerance against As-induced damage in Landoltia punctata to explore this species for phytoremediation. Plants were subjected to increasing As levels. As absorption was higher with increasing As levels. The activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase as well as anthocyanin levels increased with As levels. Catalase and peroxidase activities increased in plants subjected to As levels up to 1.0 mg L^-1 and decreased at higher levels. Due to the antioxidant system, higher levels of reactive oxygen species were restrained in plants under low levels of As. However, the levels of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and lipid peroxidation increased in response to the impaired antioxidant system induced by the highest As levels. Biomass decreased in plants exposed to As and scanning electron microscopy revealed root structural damage in the root cap of plants under 3.0 mg L^-1As. This work highlights that L. punctata can be considered a hyperaccumulator species and has potential for As phytoremediation when levels are lower than 1.0 mg L^-1-a concentration 100-fold higher than that recommended for drinking water. Novelty Statement: Landoltia punctata can be considered a hyperaccumulator species and has the potential for arsenic phytoremediation when levels are lower than 1.0 mg L^-1.

Phytotoxicity of amoxicillin to the duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza: Growth, oxidative stress, biochemical traits and antibiotic degradation

The increasing availability of antibiotics in wastewater has created a serious threat to non-target organisms in the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of amoxicillin on duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza during a short-term exposure (7 d). The duckweed was exposed to a range of environmentally relevant (0.0001-0.01 mg L^-1) and high (0.1 and 1 mg L^-1) concentrations of amoxicillin. Subsequently, biomarkers of toxicity such as growth, pigments (Chl a, Chl b and carotenoids), antioxidative enzyme activity (catalase, CAT; superoxide dismutase, SOD; and ascorbate peroxidases, APX), and biochemical content (protein, lipid and starch) were analysed in their fronds. The high dose (1 mg L^-1) of amoxicillin caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in photopigments, protein, starch and lipid content and an increase in carotenoids/total Chl and Chl a/Chl b ratios in fronds of Spirodela polyrhiza. The results showed a shift in biomarkers: a decrease in frond growth and relative growth rate (RGR) (16.2-53.8%) and an increase in the activities (mmol mg protein^-1) of CAT (0.021-0.041), APX (0.84-2.49) and SOD (0.12-0.23) in fronds. The significantly (p < 0.05) greater reduction in amoxicillin content in duckweed setups (84.6-100%) than in the control (62.1-73%) suggested that phytodegradation is an important mechanism in removing antibiotics from water, apart from hydrolysis and photodegradation, which occur in control setups. Overall, the results suggested a toxic effect of amoxicillin on Spirodela polyrhiza, even at low concentrations, and nonetheless, the duckweed contributed directly to the degradation of antibiotics in the water and throughout the phytoremediation process.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of duckweed (Landoltia punctata) in response to cadmium provides insights into molecular mechanisms underlying hyperaccumulation

Cadmium (Cd) is a detrimental environmental pollutant. Duckweeds have been considered promising candidates for Cd phytoremediation. Although many physiological studies have been conducted, the molecular mechanisms underlying Cd hyperaccumulation in duckweeds are largely unknown. In this study, clone 6001 of Landoltia punctata, which showed high Cd tolerance, was obtained by large-scale screening of over 200 duckweed clones. Subsequently, its growth, Cd flux, Cd accumulation, and Cd distribution characteristics were investigated. To further explore the global molecular mechanism, a comprehensive transcriptome analysis was performed. For RNA-Seq, samples were treated with 20 μM CdCl₂ for 0, 1, 3, and 6 days. In total, 9,461, 9,847, and 9615 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) were discovered between Cd-treated and control (0 day) samples. DEG clustering and enrichment analysis identified several biological processes for coping with Cd stress. Genes involved in DNA repair acted as an early response to Cd, while RNA and protein metabolism would be likely to respond as well. Furthermore, the carbohydrate metabolic flux tended to be modulated in response to Cd stress, and upregulated genes involved in sulfur and ROS metabolism might cause high Cd tolerance. Vacuolar sequestration most likely played an important role in Cd detoxification in L. punctata 6001. These novel findings provided important clues for molecular assisted screening and breeding of Cd hyperaccumulating cultivars for phytoremediation.

Response of Lemna gibba L. to high and environmentally relevant concentrations of ibuprofen: Removal, metabolism and morpho-physiological traits for biomonitoring of emerging contaminants

The increasing worldwide consumption of pharmaceuticals and personal care products such as ibuprofen (IBU) is leading to the widespread and persistent occurrence of these chemicals and their transformation products in soils and waters. Although at low concentrations, the continuous discharge of these micropollutants and the incomplete removal by the actual wastewater treatments can provoke accumulation in the environment with risks for the trophic chain. Non-target organisms as duckweed can be used for the environmental monitoring of pharmaceutical emerging contaminants. In this work, plants of Lemna gibba L. were exposed to high (0.20 and 1mgL^-1) and environmentally relevant (0.02mgL^-1) concentrations of IBU to investigate their removal and metabolization capacity. The main oxidized IBU metabolites in humans (hydroxy-IBU and carboxy-IBU) were determined in the intact plants and in the growth solutions, together with non-destructive physiological parameters and phytotoxic indicators. The IBU uptake increased with the increasing of IBU concentration in the medium, but the relative accumulation of the pharmaceutical and generation of hydroxy-IBU was higher in presence of the lower IBU treatments. Carboxy-IBU was not found in the plant tissue and solutions. The changes observed in growth and photosynthetic performances were not able to induce phyto-toxic effects. Apart from a mean physical-chemical degradation of 8.2%, the IBU removal by plants was highly efficient (89-92.5%) in all the conditions tested, highlighting the role of L. gibba in the biodegradation of emerging contaminants.

A full evaluation for the enantiomeric impacts of lactofen and its metabolites on aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor

Pesticide pollution of surface water represents a considerable danger for the aquatic plants which play very crucial roles in aquatic system such as oxygen production, nutrient cycling, water quality controlling and sediment stabilization. In this work, the toxic effects of the chiral herbicide lactofen and its three metabolites (desethyl lactofen, acifluorfene and amino acifluorfene) to the aquatic plant Lemna minor (L. minor) on enantiomeric level were evaluated. The influences on growth rate, fresh weight, content of photosynthetic pigment, protein and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of antioxidant defense enzymes (catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) were measured after 7 days of exposure. L. minor growth was inhibited in the order of (S)-desethyl lactofen > racemic-desethyl lactofen > (R)-desethyl lactofen > racemic-lactofen > (S)-lactofen > (R)-lactofen > acifluorfene > amino acifluorfene, and the IC50 (7d) values showed desethyl lactofen was the most powerful compound which was about twice as toxic as lactofen. The contents of chlorophylls (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) were significantly reduced by the chemicals, while, the levels of protein, MDA and the activity of CAT and SOD enzymes increased in most cases. The obtained results revealed that lactofen and its metabolites had an undesirable effect on L. minor, in terms of physiological and biochemical aspects. Besides, enantioselective toxicity of lactofen and desethyl lactofen to L. minor was observed. The S-enantiomer of desethyl lactofen was more toxic than the corresponding R-enantiomer. Furthermore, racemic lactofen was more toxic than the individual enantiomers. The side effects of pesticide metabolites and the enantioselectivity should be considered in developing optically pure products and risk assessment.

Assessment of Giant Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza L. Schleiden) Turions as Model Objects in Ecotoxicological Applications

In this study germination of Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleiden (giant duckweed) turions was assessed under cadmium exposure to test applicability of a novel turion-based ecotoxicology method. Floating success of germinating turions, protrusion of the first and subsequent fronds as test endpoints were investigated and compared to results of standard duckweed growth inhibition tests with fronds of the same species. Our results indicate that turions can be used to characterize effects of toxic substances. Initial phase of turion germination (floating up and appearance of the first frond) was less sensitive to Cd treatments than the subsequent frond production. The calculated effective concentrations for growth rates in turion and normal frond tests were similar. Single frond area produced by germinating turions proved to be the most sensitive test endpoint. Single frond area and colony disintegration as additionally measured parameters in normal frond cultures also changed due to Cd treatments but the sensitivity of these parameters was lower than that of growth rates.

Ecology of free-living metacercariae (Trematoda)

The presence of trematodes with a free-living metacercarial stage is a common feature of most habitats and includes important species such as Fasciola hepatica, Parorchis acanthus and Zygocotyle lunata. These trematodes encyst on the surface of an animal or plant that can act as a transport host, which form the diet of the target definitive host. Although these species are often considered individually, they display common characteristics in their free-living biology indicating a shared transmission strategy, yet in comparison to species with penetrative cercariae this aspect of their life cycles remains much overlooked. This review integrates the diverse data and presents a novel synthesis of free-living metacercariae using epibiosis as the basis of a new framework to describe the relationship between transport hosts and parasites. All aspects of their biology during the period that they are metabolically independent of a host are considered, from cercarial emergence to metacercarial excystment.

Phytotoxicity assessment of a methanolic coal dust extract in Lemna minor

Coal mining generates negative effects on environment, human health, hydrodynamics of mining areas and biodiversity. However, the impacts of this activity are less known in plants. Lemna minor is one of the most commonly used plants in aquatic toxicity tests due to its ubiquitous distribution in ponds and lakes, culture conditions and the free-floating habitat that exposes it to hydrophobic as well as dissolved compounds. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of a methanolic coal dust extract on L. minor. Macrophytes were exposed to six different concentrations of coal extract (from 7.81 to 250 mg/L) for 5 days, following the OECD test guideline 221. The coal extract had a half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 99.66 (184.95-54.59) mg/L for the number of fronds. Several signs of toxicity such as chlorosis, reduction in the size of the fronds, abscission of fronds and roots, and the presence of necrotic tissues were observed at concentrations lower than the IC50. Preliminary Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry analysis of the coal dust extract revealed the presence of several compounds, including, among others, alkanes, carboxylic acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), these lasts, may be responsible for some of the observed effects. These results demonstrated that coal dust has phytotoxic effects and should not be considered as an inert material.

Ecophysiological tolerance of Lemna gibba L. exposed to cadmium

In this study, an experiment was carried out to study the process of stress adaptation in Lemna gibba L. grown under cadmium stress (0-20mg Cd L(-1)). The level of photosynthetic pigments and soluble proteins decreased only upon exposure to high Cd concentrations (for pigments 5mg Cd L(-1); for soluble proteins 10mg Cd L(-1)). At the same time, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased with increasing Cd concentration. These results suggested an alleviation of stress that was presumably the result of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) as well as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), which increased linearly with increasing Cd levels. In addition, the proline content in L. gibba increased with increasing cadmium levels. These findings suggest that Lemna is equipped with an efficient antioxidant mechanism against Cd induced oxidative stress which protects the plant's photosynthetic machinery from damage.We also found that moderate Cd treatment (0.05-5mg L(-1) Cd) alleviated oxidative stress in plants, while the addition of higher amounts of Cd (10-20mg L(-1)) could cause an increasing generation of ROS, which was effectively scavenged by the antioxidative system.

Acute toxicity and environmental risk of teflubenzuron to Daphnia magna, Poecilia reticulata and Lemna minor in the absence and presence of sediment

This study aimed to estimate the acute toxicity of teflubenzuron (1-(3,5-dichloro-2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)urea) (TFB) for Daphnia magna, Lemna minor and Poecilia reticulata, in the absence and presence of sediment; evaluate the effect of sediment on the TFB bioavailability; and to classify this insecticide according to its environmental poisoning risk for agricultural and aquaculture uses. The tests of TFB acute toxicity were conducted in static system in a completely randomized design with increasing TFB concentrations, and a control group. The TFB has been classified according to the estimated values of EC50 and LC50 by its acute toxicity and environmental risk. The sediment significantly reduced toxicity and bioavailability of TFB in water column. Therefore, the insecticide can be classified as being highly toxic to Daphnia magna, which means the agricultural and aquacultural uses of TFB pose a high risk of environmental toxicity to non-target organisms. However, it was practically non-toxic to L. minor and P. reticulata.

Phenol toxicity to the aquatic macrophyte Lemna paucicostata

Phenol is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant and a widely used reference toxicant for many bioassays. However, little information is available regarding the toxic effects of phenol on aquatic macrophytes. Seventy-two hour bioassays, with different end-points, were carried out to assess phenol toxicity in Lemna paucicostata. A concentration-dependent decline in frond multiplication and colony disintegration was observed, with 11.38 and 22.76 μM phenol resulting in browning of fronds and colony disintegration, respectively. Growth of fronds, as measured by changes in surface area, was significantly inhibited with EC₅₀ value of 2.70 μM. When pulse amplitude modulated chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence imaging (i-PAM) was employed, the maximum quantum yield of PS II (F(v)/F(m)) significantly declined with increasing phenol concentrations with resultant EC₅₀ of 1.91 μM and coefficients of variation (CVs) generated for the EC₅₀ values of less than 4.7%. A gradual increase in fluorescence emissions from chlorophylls a and b and pheophytin up to a concentration of 2.85 μM was found but declined markedly at higher concentrations. The significant correlation between the F(v)/F(m) and surface growth rate data implies that the former is an appropriate biomarker of whole plant toxicity. Using imaging Chl a fluorescence on L. paucicostata provides a rapid, sensitive and reliable method for assessing the toxic risks posed by phenol to aquatic ecosystems and has practical applications for municipal and industrial waste water management.

Alumina nanoparticles enhance growth of Lemna minor

The industrial use of nanoparticles is rapidly increasing, and this has given rise to concerns about potential biological impacts of engineered particles released into the environment. So far, relatively little is known about uptake, accumulation and responses to engineered nanoparticles by plants. In this study, the effects of alumina nanoparticles on growth, morphology and photosynthesis of Lemna minor were quantified. It was found that alumina nanoparticles substantially increase biomass accumulation of L. minor. Such a stimulatory effect of alumina nanoparticles on growth has not been reported previously. Enhanced biomass accumulation was paralleled by morphological adjustments such as increased root length and number of fronds per colony, and by increased photosynthetic efficiency. Metal nanoparticles have previously been shown to enhance the energy transfer efficiency of isolated reaction centres; therefore it is proposed that the mechanism underlying the alumina mediated enhancement of biomass accumulation in L. minor is associated with increased efficiencies in the light reactions of photosynthesis.

A novel mechanism of abscission in fronds of Lemna minor L. and the effect of silver ions

Lemna minor L. (duckweed) forms colonies through vegetative propagation because mother fronds remain connected for some time with their daughter fronds by stipes. The colony size is controlled by abscission of stipes at a specific preformed abscission zone. Application of silver ions (Ag(+) ) enhances the rate of frond abscission, thus resulting in smaller colonies. The mechanism behind this process has not yet been identified. Silver caused an abscission response that saturated after 7 h of treatment. The half-maximal effective concentration was 0.72 μm Ag(+) for the standard clone, L. minor St. Other clones of the same species show sensitivities that differ by one order of magnitude. Transmission electron microscopy revealed: (i) large numbers of vesicles close to the plasmalemma in cells adjacent to the abscission zone, which proves a vesicular type secretory activity; and (ii) a moderately electron-dense secretion accumulated in the enlarging intercellular spaces, and seemed to flow from the adjacent cells towards the abscission zone. We assume that increasing pressure causes this material to push apart the cells, thereby causing the break in the abscission zone of the stipe. This is a novel mechanism of abscission that has not previously been described. The same mechanism occurs in stipes of both control and Ag(+) -treated samples. Silver ions only accelerate the process leading to abscission of stipes, without affecting the mechanism involved.

Induction of frond abscission by metals and other toxic compounds in Lemna minor

Fronds of the duckweed Lemna minor L. clone St form colonies of different sizes on the basis of stipes connecting mother and daughter fronds for some time after the development of daughter fronds. All the metals (AsO(4)(3-), AsO(2)(-), Cd(2+), CrO(4)(2-), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Hg(2+), Tl(+) and Zn(2+)) and one non-metal (SeO(4)(2-), SeO(3)(2-)) tested here induced frond abscission, thus decreasing the colony size on the basis of a novel mechanism of abscission described recently. Concentration-response curves were created based on percentages of frond abscission after 7 and 24h of toxic compound application, and response concentrations were calculated accordingly. The following conclusions could be drawn: (1) in most cases the response demonstrates less sensitivity than the bio test based on the ISO protocol 20079. (2) Even applying 1mM of the metals, AsO(4)(3-), CrO(4)(2-), Co(2+) and Zn(2+) did not reach the half-maximal effects. (3) The concentration-response curves are bell-shaped with AsO(2-), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), SeO(3)(2-) and Tl(+), which demonstrates that abscission is induced by lower but not by higher concentrations. (4) Frond abscission shows fast and sensitive effects (24h) for Ag(+), Cu(2+), AsO(2-), SeO(4)(2-), SeO(3)(2-) and Tl(+). The mechanisms and responses described here quantitatively for the first time complement and explain observations within the frame of the ISO protocol. Therefore, frond abscission should be regularly reported in the standard test protocols as abscission always indicates massive physiological effects.

Effect of excess iron and copper on physiology of aquatic plant Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid

To elucidate effect of chemical reagents addition on growth of aquatic plants in restoration of aquatic ecosystem, Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schleid was used to evaluate its physiological responses to excess iron (Fe(3+)) and copper (Cu(2+)) in the study. Results showed that accumulation of iron and copper both reached maximum at 100 mg L(-1) iron or copper after 24 h short-term stress, but excess iron and copper caused plants necrosis or death and colonies disintegration as well as roots abscission at excess metal concentrations except for 1 mg L(-1) iron. Significant differences in chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) were observed at 1-100 mg L(-1) iron or copper. The synthesis of chlorophyll and protein as well as carbohydrate and the uptake of phosphate and nitrogen were inhibited seriously by excess iron and copper. Proline content decreased with increasing iron or copper concentration, however, MDA content increased with increasing iron or copper concentration.

Ecotoxicological effects of aluminum and zinc on growth and antioxidants in Lemna minor L

The present study aimed at investigating effects of zinc and aluminum (0.15 and 0.3mM) in duckweed (Lemna minor L.) over a 15-day period. High bioaccumulation of both metals was accompanied by an increase in dry weight under higher metal treatments. Antioxidant response was observed under both metal stresses, with large increases in superoxide dismutase and peroxidases. Catalase activity declined only in duckweed exposed to Zn while lipid peroxidation as well as H(2)O(2), proline and ascorbate levels increased. The results suggest induction of oxidative stress under both aluminum and zinc toxicity, and also demonstrate duckweed's capacity to upregulate its antioxidative defense. Additionally, Zn was found to be more toxic than Al to duckweed for the concentrations applied. Due to its high bioaccumulation potential and tolerance via increased antioxidant capacity, duckweed has a potential for phytoremediation of water bodies polluted by low levels of zinc and aluminum.

Lemna minor L. as a model organism for ecotoxicological studies performing 1H NMR fingerprinting

A validated method applying (1)H NMR fingerprinting for the study of metabolic changes caused in Lemna minor L. by various phytotoxic substances is presented. (1)H NMR spectra of crude extracts from untreated and treated colonies with the herbicides glyphosate, mesotrione, norflurazon, paraquat and the phytotoxin pyrenophorol were subjected to multivariate analyses for detecting differences between groups of treatments. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were carried out in order to discriminate and classify treatments according to the observed changes in the metabolome of the plant. Although the compounds at the concentrations used did not cause macroscopically observable symptoms of phytotoxicity, characteristic metabolic changes were detectable by analyzing (1)H NMR spectra. Analyses results revealed that metabonomics applying (1)H NMR fingerprinting is a potential method for the investigation of toxicological effects of xenobiotics on L. minor, and possibly on other duckweed species, helping in the understanding of such interactions.

Laboratory analyses of 60Co2+, 65Zn2+ and (55+59)Fe3+ radiocations uptake by Lemna minor

The living Lemna minor vascular plant and two different sorbents obtained by chemical treatment of this plant were tested to study the removal process of 60Co2+, 65Zn2+ and (55+59)Fe3+ from low radioactive wastewaters. The most effective sorbent was the protonated biomass, indicating the decisive contribution of the complexation process in the assembly of the uptake mechanisms. The uptake performance of the biosorbent obtained from the L. minor can be increased with approximately 20% by treatment with 0.1 N HNO3. Concerning the metabolically active mechanism, it can be notice the slow elimination of 65Zn2+ and the continuously increase of (55+59)Fe3+ uptake degree. The Na2CO3 generated in situ in systems participates to a double exchange reaction with the metallic cations during the uptake. 60Co2+, 65Zn2+ and (55+59)Fe3+ radiocations prefer for coordination N-donor ligands at the expense O-donors ones.