Short and long-term phytoremediation capacity of aquatic plants in Cu-polluted environments

Freshwater ecosystems face numerous threats from human populations, including heavy metal contamination. Phytoremediation, the use of plants to remediate contaminated soils and sediments, is an effective and low-cost means of removing chemical contaminants, including heavy metals, from polluted environments. However, key questions remain unanswered in the application of this technology in aquatic environments, such as the long-term fate of pollutants following plant uptake. In this study, using two common wetland plant species (duckweed and tape grass), we first examined the capacity of plants to remove copper (Cu) from polluted water. Next, we evaluated the leaching potential of plant tissues following decomposition and how it is affected by a simulated freeze-thaw cycle. Using phytoremediated water and leachates from senesced plants we assessed phytoremediation success and Cu leaching potential by conducting standard toxicity assays using pond snails (Physa acuta), a species with known Cu sensitivity. We found that duckweed outperformed tape grass as a phytoremediator at low Cu concentrations. In addition, for plants grown in low concentrations of Cu, leaching from decaying plant material did not negatively impact snail survival, while at high concentrations of Cu, leaching did result in toxicity. Lastly, we found that a simulated freeze-thaw cycle increased the release of Cu from plant tissue in the presence of high Cu concentrations only, resulting in reduced snail survival. Our results indicate that in moderately Cu-polluted environments, some aquatic plants can remove contaminants without a long-term risk of leaching. In contrast, phytoremediation in highly polluted environments will likely require removal of plant tissue to prevent leaching of previously accumulated metals. Land managers must not only consider plant species and degree of contamination, but also geographic location, as freeze-thaw cycles may enhance plant decomposition and increase the likelihood of contaminant leaching following phytoremediation efforts in aquatic ecosystems.

The Tropical Invasive Seagrass, Halophila stipulacea, Has a Superior Ability to Tolerate Dynamic Changes in Salinity Levels Compared to Its Freshwater Relative, Vallisneria americana

The tropical seagrass species, Halophila stipulacea, originated from the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, subsequently invading the Mediterranean and has recently established itself in the Caribbean Sea. Due to its invasive nature, there is growing interest in understanding this species' capacity to adapt to new conditions. One approach to understanding the natural tolerance of a plant is to compare the tolerant species with a closely related non-tolerant species. We compared the physiological responses of H. stipulacea exposed to different salinities, with that of its nearest freshwater relative, Vallisneria americana. To achieve this goal, H. stipulacea and V. americana plants were grown in dedicated microcosms, and exposed to the following salt regimes: (i) H. stipulacea: control (40 PSU, practical salinity units), hyposalinity (25 PSU) and hypersalinity (60 PSU) for 3 weeks followed by a 4-week recovery phase (back to 40 PSU); (ii) V. americana: control (1 PSU), and hypersalinity (12 PSU) for 3 weeks, followed by a 4-week recovery phase (back to 1 PSU). In H. stipulacea, leaf number and chlorophyll content showed no significant differences between control plants and plants under hypo and hypersalinities, but a significant decrease in leaf area under hypersalinity was observed. In addition, compared with control plants, H. stipulacea plants exposed to hypo and hypersalinity were found to have reduced below-ground biomass and C/N ratios, suggesting changes in the allocation of resources in response to both stresses. There was no significant effect of hypo/hypersalinity on dark-adapted quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) suggesting that H. stipulacea photochemistry is resilient to hypo/hypersalinity stress. In contrast to the seagrass, V. americana exposed to hypersalinity displayed significant decreases in above-ground biomass, shoot number, leaf number, blade length and Fv/Fm, followed by significant recoveries of all these parameters upon return of the plants to non-saline control conditions. These data suggest that H. stipulacea shows remarkable tolerance to both hypo and hypersalinity. Resilience to a relatively wide range of salinities may be one of the traits explaining the invasive nature of this species in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas.

Effect of nutrients and salinity pulses on biomass and growth of Vallisneria americana in lower St Johns River, FL, USA

We determined the interactive effects of nutrient loading and salinity pulsing on Vallisneria americana Michx., the dominant submerged aquatic vegetation species in the lower St Johns River (LSJR), FL, USA, and its associated algal community. Five hundred and ninety 6-inch diameter intact plant plugs of Vallisneria were collected from the LSJR in March 2003 and transported to US Geological Survey mesocosm facilities in Lafayette, LA, USA. A 3×3 experimental design consisting of three nutrient levels (control, 1/3 control and 3× control) and three salinity pulsing regimes (no pulse, 1-pulse at 18 ppt and 2-pulse at 12 and 18 ppt) was implemented with three replicates per treatment for a total of 27 experimental tanks. Salinity pulsing significantly reduced all measured Vallisneria growth parameters including above- and below-ground biomass, areal productivity and leaf area index. Nutrient levels had little effect on plants subjected to salinity pulses, but in non-salinity pulse treatments we observed higher mean macrophyte biomass in the low-nutrient loading treatments. Macroalgal components (epiphytes and surface algal mats) were not significantly different ( p=0.2998 and p=0.2444, respectively), but water column chlorophyll a (phytoplankton) was significantly higher ( p<0.0001) in all salinity pulse treatments except for the 1-pulse, low-nutrient treatment. A single salinity pulse at 18 ppt resulted in 22% pot mortality and two consecutive pulses of 18 and 12 ppt resulted in an additional 14% mortality. Individual leaves and ramets lost 59.7% and 67.8%, respectively, in the combined salinity pulse treatments. Nutrient loading tends to have a long-term effect on Vallisneria through complex community interactions while salinity pulsing frequency and intensity has an immediate and direct influence on growth and distribution.