Effects of Trichloroethylene, Plant Sex and Site of Origin on Modular Demography in Vallisneria americana

Biernacki, Maciej; Doust, Jon Lovett; Doust, Lesley Lovett

doi:10.2307/2404816

Cited by 13 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The following genets were selected: (1) a male plant of V. americana var. americana , originating from the Chenal Ecarte area of the St. Clair River and found previously to be tolerant of high concentrations of trichloroethylene [22] and subsequently cultivated in the greenhouse; (2) the same genetic individual as in item 1, but subsequently cultivated in the field; (3) a female plant of V. americana var. americana , originating from the mouth of the Rouge River and cultivated in the greenhouse; (4) the same genetic individual as in item 3, but cultivated in the field; (5) a female plant of V. americana var.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some obstacles to their use in laboratory assays are their large size, relatively slow growth, relatively long growth cycle, technical difficulties in studying roots, the lack of standard analytical methods for tissue contaminant analyses, the lack of standarized plant material, and the lack of established test methods and assay endpoints. In several recently published studies, Vallisneria americana was used, in both greenhouse experiments [22,23] and field studies [15–17,24], and a number of the above problems were resolved. These studies showed that V. americana is noticeably responsive to changes in environmental quality and potentially very useful in both short‐and long‐term studies of environmental quality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several studies have shown a significant correlation between rates of root and/or shoot elongation in plants exposed to contaminants and contaminant concentrations [29,30]. Our earlier studies showed that contaminants affect not only elongation of roots and leaves but also changes in the number of leaves and roots per ramet, leaf width, root diameter, and patterns of biomass allocation to leaves and roots [22,23]. Some of these changes in plant morphology may be reflected in changes in the leaf and root surface areas of a plant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shifts in leaf and root dimensions may occur very rapidly; significant differences can be observed within less than 1 week [23,29]. (For comparison, significant changes in other measures of plant performance, such as rate of clonal growth, frequency of flowering, and leaf production per ramet, have been observed after 5 weeks of exposure [22]. ) Furthermore, even at very low concentrations of organic contaminants, a significant change in relative root and shoot growth can occur before measureable increases in enzyme activity [29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laboratory assay of sediment phytotoxicity using the macrophyte Vallisneria americana

Biernacki

Lovett‐Doust

1997

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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In contrast to their ecological importance, submersed rooted macrophytes have been overlooked in environmental science. Presently, the array of standard phytotoxic bioassays includes only one free‐floating vascular macrophyte (Lemna) and several algal species. A short‐term and inexpensive assay was studied for feasibility in evaluating sediment quality. Cloned ramets of the macrophyte Vallisneria americana were used to test phytotoxicity of sediments collected at different locations in the Detroit River. Ramets were planted in sediment samples and placed in greenhouse aquaria. After a week of exposure, ramets of V. americana were destructively sampled and preserved. The leaf and root surfaces areas were determined, and plant biomass was recorded for each ramet. An index of the leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio was a reliable predictor of sediment phytotoxicity; the ratio of leaf‐to‐root mass was also useful but proved less consistent. Ramets grown in sediments that were relatively less contaminated with organic compounds had lower values of the leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio, while plants grown in more contaminated sediments had greater values. Results of analyses of variance indicated that the index of leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio responded to sediment quality but was not significantly affected by either variation in plant genotype or interaction between sediment and plant genotype. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between rank‐ordered results of the present greenhouse study and results of leaf‐to‐root surface area ratios for plants previously surveyed in the field.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Laboratory assay of sediment phytotoxicity using the macrophyte Vallisneria americana

Biernacki

Lovett‐Doust

1997

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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“…Root elongation in Panicum miliaceum has been used in toxicity testing of phenolic compounds with sensitive, regular, and predictable toxic responses (Wang 1986). The submersed, rooted, aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria americana has also been proposed as a potential biomonitor of water quality (Biernacki et al 1995 a , b ) and sediment quality (St‐Cyr and Campbell 1994), as well as being used as a biomonitor in pesticide toxicity testing (Swanson et al 1991, Solomon et al 1996). St‐Cyr and Campbell (1994) found that metal concentrations in the leaves of naturally occurring V. americana reflected the spatial variations in bioavailable sediment concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

BIOMONITORING SITE QUALITY IN STRESSED AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS USINGVALLISNERIA AMERICANA

Potter¹,

Lovett‐Doust²

2001

Ecological Applications

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Leaf‐to‐root surface area ratios in Vallisneria americana have been shown to provide a simple and inexpensive relative measure of sublethal effects of organochlorine contamination. The present study was conducted to determine whether this index of surface area could be used as an effective biomonitor of overall site quality in stressed aquatic ecosystems. The leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio was determined for samples of V. americana collected from 225 microsites within 12 Areas of Concern (environmentally contaminated areas designated by the International Joint Commission) throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes of Ontario. Statistical analyses indicate that 77% of the variation in the surface area index could be attributed to differences among microsites, with only 23% of variation occurring among plants within a microsite. A multiple regression equation was developed for predicting the leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio from several measures of microsite quality. Significant parameters affecting the surface area ratio included plant density, light intensity, and an index of sediment contamination. In contrast, measures of water contamination did not show any correlation with leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio. These observations support the hypothesis that V. americana accumulates contaminants primarily from the sediments and that the leaf‐to‐root surface area ratio can be used to construct contours of point source impact zones in Areas of Concern. The regression model developed here provides a simple, inexpensive means for monitoring overall site quality throughout the Great Lakes.

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Macrophytes as Biomonitors of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

et al. 2004

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Biomonitoring is the use of organisms in situ to identify and quantify toxicants in an environment. This technique takes advantage of the ability of organisms to accumulate contaminants in their tissues through bioaccumulation and bioconcentration. In general, three historical stages exist in the biomonitoring with plants, based on the use of different parameters: (a) various physiological, morphological, and community parameters; (b) environmental concentrations of pollutants in plant tissues; and (c) early warning systems or biomarkers (histological, biochemical, or genetic). Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of the more ubiquitous and toxic organic pollutants. PCBs are very hydrophobic contaminants and preferentially adsorb onto sediment particles. Depending on their morphology, aquatic macrophytes grow at the interface of distinct environments, such as water, sediment, and air. Despite not many studies being conducted using aquatic macrophytes for biomonitoring PCBs in freshwater ecosystem—as evidenced by a lack of literature reports—research under field conditions have demonstrated that rooted macrophytes play a crucial role in the removal of PCBs from the environment, not only accumulating but transforming them. For this reason, phytoremediation has been proposed as an alternative or complementary technique to treat sediment polluted by PCBs, but still needs much basic research.

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Effects of Trichloroethylene, Plant Sex and Site of Origin on Modular Demography in Vallisneria americana

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Laboratory assay of sediment phytotoxicity using the macrophyte Vallisneria americana

Laboratory assay of sediment phytotoxicity using the macrophyte Vallisneria americana

BIOMONITORING SITE QUALITY IN STRESSED AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS USINGVALLISNERIA AMERICANA

Macrophytes as Biomonitors of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

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