The Lemna Bioassay: Contemporary Issues as the Most Standardized Plant Bioassay for Aquatic Ecotoxicology

The Lemna bioassay is one of the most standardized higher plant bioassays for assessing the impacts of contaminants in aquatic environments. The simple anatomy and ease with which Lemna sp. can be handled makes them ideal test organisms. They have been used to predict the cytotoxic, cytogenetic, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Critical reviews in environmental science and technology 2014-01, Vol.44 (2), p.154-197
Main Authors: Mkandawire, Martin, Teixeira da Silva, Jaime A., Dudel, E. Gert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Assessments
bioaccumulation
Bioassay
Bioassays
Biological and medical sciences
biphasic growth
Contaminants
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
endpoints
environmental pollution
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Heavy metals
hormesis test organisms
Lemna
Pharmaceuticals
Plants (organisms)
Pollutants
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Techniques
Toxicity
toxicity mechanisms
Toxicology
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Summary:The Lemna bioassay is one of the most standardized higher plant bioassays for assessing the impacts of contaminants in aquatic environments. The simple anatomy and ease with which Lemna sp. can be handled makes them ideal test organisms. They have been used to predict the cytotoxic, cytogenetic, and mutagenic effects of several chemical pollutants including, inter alia, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, metalloids, organometallic compounds, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, radionuclides, and pharmaceuticals. However, there is still some contention as to the exact scope of application and definition of the Lemna bioassay regarding its accuracy of prediction and toxicity assessment. In this article, we review some critical issues on the development and effective use of the Lemna bioassay.
ISSN:1064-3389
1547-6537
DOI:10.1080/10643389.2012.710451