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Bioaccumulation and growth characteristics of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara after chronic exposure to metal-contaminated sediments

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Abstract

Metal-contaminated sediments in lakes is a global concern that poses toxicological risk to aquatic organisms. This study performed bioassays using the submerged macrophyte, Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara, exposed to contaminated sediments collected from five locations in Dianchi Lake, Yunnan, China. Among the sediments collected, Igeo showed enrichment of As and Cd in Dianchi Lake sediments. In spite of enriched toxic metals at some locations, laboratory bioassays found no significant difference in leaf biomass or leaf photosynthesis rate between the sites. Root biomass and root activity showed significant differences between locations and were negatively correlated with the concentration of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in sediment but not related to Cr. The above correlations were strongest for Hg and As, respectively. Accumulation of Cd and Pb to leaves of bioassay plants was observed, but this was not evident for As and Cr. Overall, the results indicate that V. natans can be used as a bioassay organism and measures of root toxicity are sensitive to metal concentrations present in Dianchi Lake sediments. Furthermore, the study species holds promise for use as a biomonitor of Cd and Pb sediment metal content.

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  • 11 December 2019

    The correct name of the 9th Author is shown in this paper.

  • 11 December 2019

    The correct name of the 9th Author is shown in this paper.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Professor Nanlan Peng for metal analysis.

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Joint Grant of Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Department – Yunnan University Major Project (2018FY001-007), the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Young Scientist (Grant No. 3170040), and the Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan for Young Scientist (Grant No. 2017FD066) and Yunnan Science and Technology Major Project (2018BC002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, Yunnan, China

    Yu Qian, Shuzhuang He, Yuhong Fang, Shinan Qiao & Xuexiu Chang

  2. Analysis and Measurements Center of Yunnan Provincial Non-ferrous Geology Bureau, Kunming, 650051, Yunnan, China

    Changlei Cheng

  3. Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B3P4, Canada

    Ken Drouillard

  4. School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA

    Qingzhi Zhu

  5. Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, 07043, USA

    Huan Feng

  6. Department of Soil Science and Geology, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, 94976, Nitra, Slovak Republic

    Marek Kolenčíka

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  1. Yu Qian
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  2. Changlei Cheng
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  3. Ken Drouillard
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  4. Qingzhi Zhu
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  5. Huan Feng
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  6. Shuzhuang He
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  9. Marek Kolenčíka
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  10. Xuexiu Chang
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Correspondence to Xuexiu Chang.

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Qian, Y., Cheng, C., Drouillard, K. et al. Bioaccumulation and growth characteristics of Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara after chronic exposure to metal-contaminated sediments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 20510–20519 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05347-z

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