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Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution
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Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Pollution Prevention, Mitigation and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 8787

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ludmiła Polechońska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Wrocław, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: aquatic plants; trace metals; microplastics; bioindication; aquatic pollution; ecotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Małgorzata Dambiec

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Wrocław, 50-328 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: plant ecology; bioindication; biomonitoring of environmental pollution; trace element accumulation in plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The contamination and degradation of aquatic ecosystems is considered one of the most serious current global environmental problems. Watercourses and aquatic reservoirs serve as carriers and/or direct or indirect sinks for various contaminants. Trace metals are among the hazardous, non-degradable pollutants associated with human activity, and they accumulate in soil, sediment and living organisms, posing a serious threat to the environment and humans. Therefore, addressing the problems of aquatic pollution and monitoring is crucial in view of developing management as well as protection strategies and has become one of the top priorities for sustainable development.

Due to fluctuations in trace metal concentrations in water, aquatic ecosystems are particularly difficult to reliably monitor using physicochemical analyses; therefore, the need to develop new methods is particularly pressing in the case of these habitats. Trace metal accumulation in aquatic plants has been frequently studied, providing the basis for the development of numerous methods of bioindication, and various species of aquatic macrophytes are considered good bioindicators. Biomonitoring is considered to be more reliable, effective and informative than physicochemical monitoring methods and therefore needs to be further studied and developed to address the emerging problems of water pollution.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for scientists and academics to promote, share, and discuss various issues and developments concerning the use of aquatic plants in trace metal monitoring and assessment. For this Special Issue, potential topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Various aspects of the use of aquatic plants as indicators of trace metals;
  • Environmental monitoring and assessment using different groups of aquatic plants;
  • Aquatic plants as reactive, passive and/or active bioindicators of trace elements;
  • New indicators, new approaches and methods for indicator development, testing and use;
  • The testing and development of trace metal pollution indices using aquatic plants;
  • The direct application of aquatic plants as bioindicators for management purposes;
  • Challenges relating to the use of aquatic plants in the sustainable monitoring of trace metal pollution.

We welcome high-quality, original research articles as well as review papers, communications, case studies, short overviews or comments presenting theoretical and experimental progress as well as discussing new research directions in different aspects of using aquatic plants in the biomonitoring of trace metal levels, fates and impacts on the environment. We hope to collect valuable articles that will inspire future research and interdisciplinary discussions.

Dr. Ludmiła Polechońska
Dr. Małgorzata Dambiec
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomonitoring
  • potentialy toxic metals
  • heavy metals
  • macrophytes
  • aquatic contamination
  • water quality
  • bioaccumulation
  • hyperaccumulators
  • indicator species
  • biogeochemistry of aquatic plants
  • pollution indices

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 14166 KiB  
Article
Contributions of Wetland Plants on Metal Accumulation in Sediment
by Marelé A. Nel, Gletwyn Rubidge, Janine B. Adams and Lucienne R. D. Human
Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3679; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063679 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1786
Abstract
Wetlands, and especially salt marshes, are well-known sinks of metals, which limit toxic amounts of metals from entering the food chain. This study investigated metal concentrations (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in a highly urbanised estuary, and compared vegetated rhizosediment ( [...] Read more.
Wetlands, and especially salt marshes, are well-known sinks of metals, which limit toxic amounts of metals from entering the food chain. This study investigated metal concentrations (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in a highly urbanised estuary, and compared vegetated rhizosediment (Salicornia tegetaria, Spartina maritima, and Zostera capensis) with bare sediment, in a depositional and non-depositional site, in the intertidal zone of the Swartkops Estuary. The samples were collected at two sites along the middle and lower reaches of the estuary and analysed using a Total X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometer. It was found that the rhizosediment contained more metals and that metal concentrations in the sediment decreased as follows: S. tegetaria > S. maritima > Z. capensis > bare sediment. Although metal accumulation was similar in bare sediment for the depositional (Site B) and the non-depositional site (Site A), the rhizosediment displayed higher metal accumulation in the depositional site (Site B). However, regardless of site-specific depositional tendencies, rhizosediment displayed higher metal accumulation than bare sediment. These results indicate that vegetated sites and vegetated depositional sites should be the focus of monitoring metals in estuaries around the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution)
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18 pages, 4230 KiB  
Article
Duckweed (Lemna minor L.) Successfully Accumulates Selenium from Selenium-Impacted Water
by Aleksandra Golob, Katarina Vogel-Mikuš, Nina Brudar and Mateja Germ
Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13423; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313423 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1886
Abstract
The absorption of selenium (Se) from water by Lemna minor L. and the influence of different concentrations and forms of Se on its biochemical and morphological characteristics were studied. Plants were exposed to various concentrations of Se: 1 mg Se L−1, [...] Read more.
The absorption of selenium (Se) from water by Lemna minor L. and the influence of different concentrations and forms of Se on its biochemical and morphological characteristics were studied. Plants were exposed to various concentrations of Se: 1 mg Se L−1, 2 mg Se L−1 and 5 mg Se L−1 in sodium selenite and sodium selenate solutions and in a combination of selenite (2 mg Se L−1) and selenate (2 mg Se L−1). When the Se was added in the form of selenate, plants accumulated higher amounts of Se compared to plants exposed to selenite. Comparisons of the combined addition of selenite and selenate (2 + 2 mg Se L−1) with their individual applications (2 and 5 mg Se L−1) showed that for the combination, the L. minor fronds accumulated more Se than in selenite alone. Plants exposed to any of the concentrations of sodium selenate or sodium selenite, or the combination of selenite and selenate, showed inferior physiological performances, and lower concentrations of photosynthetic pigments, compared to control plants. Consequently, growth was also suppressed under the stress conditions caused by higher concentrations of Se in any form. The efficient absorption of Se from the water by L. minor indicates the potential use of this species in phytoremediation processes for waters polluted with Se. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution)
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9 pages, 1844 KiB  
Article
On the Capability of the Epigeous Organs of Phragmites australis to Act as Metal Accumulators in Biomonitoring Studies
by Daniela Baldantoni and Alessandro Bellino
Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7745; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147745 - 12 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1845
Abstract
With a view of shedding light on the accumulation capability of the epigeous organs of common reed (Phragmites australis), employed worldwide in metal biomonitoring, an accumulation study of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was performed, focusing on [...] Read more.
With a view of shedding light on the accumulation capability of the epigeous organs of common reed (Phragmites australis), employed worldwide in metal biomonitoring, an accumulation study of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn was performed, focusing on leaves belonging to different whorls and culms. To this end, in five sampling sites on the littoral zone of the volcanic Lake Averno (Italy), and in one occasion (autumn) before plant senescence, leaves of different ages and culms were collected and analyzed for metal concentrations. In terms of the suitability for biomonitoring, culms demonstrated poor performances in relation to the low metal accumulation and the difficulties in sampling and processing, whereas leaves proved their effectiveness in highlighting whole plant exposure. Since the accumulation degree of Cr, Cu, Fe and Zn is unaffected by leaf age, the pooling of leaves from different whorls is advisable to improve the representativeness of samplings. This strategy becomes mandatory in the case of Ni, the non-monotonic age-dependent variations of which would affect the derivation of contamination gradients otherwise. For Mn, Cd and Pb, the accumulation patterns strictly dependent on age can instead be exploited in selecting the sensitivity of biomonitoring by focusing on the organs where they are preferentially accumulated: old leaves for Mn and young leaves for Cd and Pb. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution)
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15 pages, 2072 KiB  
Article
Uptake Prediction of Eight Potentially Toxic Elements by Pistia stratiotes L. Grown in the Al-Sero Drain (South Nile Delta, Egypt): A Biomonitoring Approach
by Ebrahem M. Eid, Mohammed A. Dakhil, Loutfy M. Hassan, Shaimaa G. Salama and Tarek M. Galal
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5276; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13095276 - 08 May 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1880
Abstract
The potential to utilise the free-floating macrophyte Pistia stratiotes L. to survey contamination of the Al-Sero Drain in the South Nile Delta, Egypt, by eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was investigated in this study. This study considered the absorption of eight PTEs (Cd, [...] Read more.
The potential to utilise the free-floating macrophyte Pistia stratiotes L. to survey contamination of the Al-Sero Drain in the South Nile Delta, Egypt, by eight potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was investigated in this study. This study considered the absorption of eight PTEs (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn), and the evaluated P. stratiotes were located in three sampling locations along the Al-Sero Drain, with sampling conducted in both monospecific and homogenous P. stratiotes. Samples of both types of P. stratiotes and water were collected on a monthly basis between May 2013 and April 2014 at each location, utilising three randomly chosen 0.5 × 0.5 m quadrats. Regression models were designed to predict the concentration of the PTEs within the plant’s shoot and root systems. Elevated water Fe levels were correlated with a rise in shoot system Fe concentration, whereas higher Ni concentrations in the water led to a higher Ni concentration within the root system. The latter was also true for Pb. Water Cu levels had a negative association with the Cu concentration within the P. stratiotes shoot system. Raised Fe levels were also correlated with a diminished Fe level within the roots. For all PTEs, P. stratiotes was characterised by a bioconcentration factor of more than 1.0, and for the majority by a translocation factor of less than 1.0. The goodness of fit for most of the designed models, as indicated by high R2 values and low mean averaged errors, demonstrated the associations between actual and predicted PTE concentrations. Any disparity between measured and predicted parameters failed to reach significance with Student t-tests, reinforcing the predictive abilities of the designed models. Thus, these novel models have potential value for the prediction of PTE uptake by P. stratiotes macrophytes inhabiting the Al-Sero Drain. Furthermore, the macrophyte’s constituents indicate the long-term impact of water contamination; this supports the potential future use of P. stratiotes for biomonitoring the majority of the PTEs evaluated in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Plants as Bioindicators of Trace Metal Pollution)
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