Biological Responses of Ceratophyllum demersum L. Exposed to Chromium (Cr+6)

35932

Due to its widespread industrial use, chromium (Cr) has become a serious pollutant. In particular, the hexavalent form of the metal, Cr+6, is considered a more toxic species than the Cr+3 form. The objective of the present study is to investigate biological responses of Ceratophyllum demersum L., which is an aquatic plant, against chromium exposure. C. demersum samples were exposed to 1, 5, and 10 mM of Cr (K2Cr2O7) for 6 days. The accumulation of Cr, plant growth, lipid peroxidation, ion leakage, photosynthetic pigmentation, protein and proline content was examined depending on concentration changes. It was determined that C. demersum could accumulate considerable amounts of Cr. The highest Cr accumulation value was observed as 19.6 mmol g-1 (dry weight) at 10 mM Cr application. In general, growth rate and photosynthetic pigmentation decreased as a response to Cr accumulation whereas ion leakage, lipid peroxidation increased. The findings of the present study may be useful for phytoremediation of polluted water using aquatic plants.

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Ceratophyllum demersum , chromium , growth rate , lipid peroxidation

Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Arts and Science Journal of Science

171

Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Arts and Science Journal of Science