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Cadmium Accumulation and Translocation in Four Emergent Wetland Species

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Abstract

Emergent wetland plant species may exhibit different capacity for phytoremediation when used in constructed wetlands. To evaluate cadmium (Cd) remediation capacity of four emergent wetland species [Baumea juncea (R.Br.) Palla, Baumea articulata (R.Br.) S.T. Blake, Schoenoplectus validus (M.Vahl) A. & D.Löve, and Juncus subsecundus N.A. Wakef.], a glasshouse experiment was conducted in hydroponics to investigate the effects of Cd (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg L−1) on plant growth and Cd uptake and translocation as well as uptake of other nutrients after 14 days. The relative growth rates of the three species changed little in various Cd treatments, but was severely inhibited for B. juncea at 20 mg Cd per liter treatment. Hence, the Cd tolerance index (root length in Cd treatment vs. control) was significantly lower in B. juncea compared to other species. Among the species, the highest concentration of Cd was in the roots of J. subsecundus, followed by S. validus, B. articulata, and B. juncea, while the lowest concentration of Cd was in the S. validus shoots. Of all the species, J. subsecundus had the highest bioconcentration factor (BCF) in shoots, whereas S. validus and B. juncea had the lowest BCF in rhizomes and roots, respectively. The translocation factor was significantly lower in S. validus compared to the other species. J. subsecundus had a higher Cd accumulation rate than the other species regardless of the Cd supply. The lowest allocation of Cd in shoots was recorded for S. validus and in roots for B. juncea. The concentrations of other elements (P, S, Ca, Fe, Cu, and Zn) in shoots decreased with Cd additions, but the interactions between Cd and other elements in roots varied with the different species. These results indicate that the four wetland species have good tolerance to Cd stress (except B. juncea at high Cd exposure), varying in Cd accumulation and translocation in tissues. These properties need to be taken into account when selecting species for wetlands constructed for phytoremediation.

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Acknowledgments

This work received financial support through Australia Research Council (ARC-linkage Project, LP0883979) and industrial partners (Syrinx Environmental Pty Ltd; Australian Laboratory Services, Perth; Department of Water, Western Australia and King Island Council, Tasmania).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia

    Zhenhua Zhang & Zed Rengel

  2. Syrinx Environmental Pty Ltd., 12 Monger St, Perth, Western Australia, 6000, Australia

    Kathy Meney

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  1. Zhenhua Zhang
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  2. Zed Rengel
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Correspondence to Zed Rengel.

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Zhang, Z., Rengel, Z. & Meney, K. Cadmium Accumulation and Translocation in Four Emergent Wetland Species. Water Air Soil Pollut 212, 239–249 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0339-7

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