Aquatic plants and ecotoxicological assessment in freshwater ecosystems: a review

Abstract

This paper reviews the current state-of-the-art, limitations, critical issues, and new directions in freshwater plant ecotoxicology. We selected peer-reviewed studies using relevant databases and for each (1) publication year, (2) test plant species, (3) reference plant group (microalgae, macroalgae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, flowering plants), (4) toxicant tested (heavy metal, pharmaceutical product, hydrocarbon, pesticide, surfactant, plastic), (5) experiment site (laboratory, field), and (6) toxicant exposure duration. Although aquatic plant organisms play a key role in the functioning of freshwater ecosystems, mainly linked to their primary productivity, their use as biological models in ecotoxicological tests was limited if compared to animals. Also, toxicant effects on freshwater plants were scarcely investigated and limited to studies on microalgae (80%), or only to a certain number of recurrent species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Chlorella vulgaris, Lemna minor, Myriophyllum spicatum). The most widely tested toxicants on plants were heavy metals (74%), followed by pharmaceutical products and hydrocarbons (7%), while the most commonly utilized endpoints in tests were plant growth inhibition, variations in dry or fresh weight, morpho-structural alterations, chlorosis, and/or necrosis. The main critical issues emerged from plant-based ecotoxicological tests were the narrow range of species and endpoints considered, the lack of environmental relevance, the excessively short exposure times, and the culture media potentially reacting with toxicants. Proposals to overcome these issues are discussed.

Machine Learning Approach to Predict Quality Parameters for Bacterial Consortium-Treated Hospital Wastewater and Phytotoxicity Assessment on Radish, Cauliflower, Hot Pepper, Rice and Wheat Crops

“…The comparatively increased germination and reduced phytotoxic analysis of the five crops for the treated wastewater is as follows: Cauliflower > Radish > Wheat > Rice > Hot pepper. The capacity to accumulate heavy metals is different in various types of plants, both on land as well as in aquatic plants [82,83]. Leafy and root vegetable crops absorb these metals more frequently than other vegetables [82].…”

Land use/land cover dynamics, trade-offs and implications on tropical inland shallow lakes’ ecosystems’ management: Case of Lake Malombe, Malawi

“…Increased built-up land use areas in the lake catchment are done at the expense of biodiversity, some EPS such as fishery, supporting and regulatory services such as water purification and carbon sequestration). Aquatic plants such as Pennisetum purpureum schumach, Phragmites mauritianu, Typha latifolia, and Cyperus papyrus play a significant role in climate regulation through carbon sequestration (Kayranli et al, 2010;Were et al, 2021), water quality purification through the removal of heavy metals (Bernardini et al, 2016;Ceschin et al, 2021;Parzych et al, 2016), fecal pathogens removal (Kipasika et al, 2016), nutrients regulation, habitant provision (Bornette & Puijalon, 2011) and flood regulation (Rooney et al, 2013;Scheffer et al, 2003;Wang et al, 2019). Aquatic plants such as Typha domingensis, Terminalia sericea, Azadirachta indica found in They culturally provide services to local communities and cure diseases such as bilharzia, pneumonia, diarrhea, antiseptic wounds, and Malaria (Pullanikkatil et al, 2018).…”

Improving Plant-Based Genotoxicity Bioassay for Trace Metal-Contaminated Water: Insights from Myriophyllum Aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. and Cd.

“…Nonetheless, the use of aquatic plants as biological models in eco-toxicological tests is limited if compared to animals, although contaminants mainly enter the ecosystem through such organisms, that are the rst and obligate step of the trophic chains (Ceschin et al 2020).…”

“…As for the test organisms, plants are regarded as ideal assay systems for screening and monitoring mutagens in the environment, providing vital information from the viewpoint of preserving biodiversity and ecological resources (Panda and Panda 2002;Aksoy 2017). Plant organisms are affected by water pollution earlier than other organisms, since they are the rst interface between abiotic and biotic constituents of an ecosystem and, therefore, considered as early warning systems, essential for intercepting contaminations in advance (Ceschin et al 2020) In addition, AFLP can offer the possibility of detecting large portions of the genome at the populational level at relatively low cost (Caballero et al 2013).…”