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Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements
Published on: July 13, 2016
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FACTORS AFFECTING THE KINETICS OF INTRA-AND EXTRACELLULAR CADMIUM UPTAKE BY THE MOSS RHYTIDIADELPHUS SQUARROSUS
1Department of Botany, The University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.
The New Phytologist
|April 20, 2021
Summary
This study shows that cadmium (Cd) uptake progressively reduces moss photosynthesis. Differences in Cd tolerance between field populations were linked to intracellular uptake, which laboratory culture normalized.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Plant Physiology
- Ecotoxicology
Background:
- Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal impacting plant life.
- Bryophytes like mosses are sensitive bioindicators of environmental pollution.
- Understanding Cd uptake mechanisms in mosses is crucial for ecological risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) on photosynthesis and respiration in the moss Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus.
- To compare Cd responses in field-grown and laboratory-cultured moss shoots.
- To explore differences in Cd uptake and tolerance between distinct field populations.
Main Methods:
- Measuring respiration and photosynthesis rates in moss shoots exposed to Cd.
- Analyzing extracellular and intracellular Cd accumulation.
- Quantifying cation content, gas exchange, and dry weight.
- Comparing field-grown populations with laboratory-cultured specimens.
Main Results:
- Photosynthesis was reduced with increasing Cd uptake; respiration remained unaffected.
- Field-grown moss populations showed differential photosynthetic responses to Cd, linked to intracellular uptake rates.
- Cd moved from extracellular to intracellular locations during storage, altering photosynthetic rates.
- Laboratory culture normalized differences in Cd uptake and physiological characteristics observed in field populations.
Conclusions:
- Intracellular Cd accumulation significantly impacts moss photosynthetic efficiency.
- Differences in Cd tolerance between natural populations can be attributed to physiological and uptake variations, which are mutable under culture conditions.
- Divalent cation activity at the plasmalemma may regulate Cd affinity and accumulation in mosses, informing future ecotoxicological studies.
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