Loading…

The response of Lemna trisulca L. to cadmium

Lemna trisulca was grown, using aseptic culture techniques in a filter-sterilized medium, a portion of which was replaced regularly during experiments. L. trisulca responded to the addition of 0·64 μM Cd with a reduction in multiplication rate (MR) 2 ± 1 days after exposure. The internal Cd content...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental pollution (1987) 1993, Vol.80 (3), p.247-253
Main Authors: Huebert, David B., Shay, Jennifer M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Lemna trisulca was grown, using aseptic culture techniques in a filter-sterilized medium, a portion of which was replaced regularly during experiments. L. trisulca responded to the addition of 0·64 μM Cd with a reduction in multiplication rate (MR) 2 ± 1 days after exposure. The internal Cd content reached 1000 ± 140 μg Cd/g (dry wt) within 2 days exposure to 0·64 μM Cd. The final yield was reduced by an average of c.8% for each day of exposure to 0·64 μM Cd in a 14 day experiment. This implies that an equilibration period should be used for short-term bioassay tests before the effect of a toxicant is determined. Pretreating L. trisulca with 0·08 or 0·32 μM Cd for 6 weeks had no significant effect on MR or Cd uptake when plants were subsequently exposed to a range of Cd concentrations or grown in a control medium. This suggests that L. trisulca does not become acclimated to elevated Cd concentrations. The MR of L. trisulca fluctuated over a period of almost 600 days and the doubling time ranged from 1·6 to 2·4 days. This produced more than a fivefold difference in final yield in experiments of 14 days duration. The reduction in MR in response to 0·32 μM Cd during this same 600 days period averaged 24% with a coefficient of variation of 38%, and varied with the MR of control cultures. Fluctuations in the intrinsic growth rate and the effect of a toxicant on L. trisulca could potentially confound the assessment of toxicity and must be carefully considered when designing test protocols for aquatic plants.
ISSN:0269-7491
1873-6424
DOI:10.1016/0269-7491(93)90045-P