Cadmium Induced Ultrastructural Changes in Shoot Apical Meristem of Elodea Canadensis Rich.

The ultrastructure of cells of ground meristem in the peripheral zone of shoot apical meristem in Elodea canadensis Rich. was studied after treatment with cadmium in concentrations 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 g(Cd²⁺) m⁻³. After 5 d treatment, changes in the structural organisation of the plastid apparatus were found, namely in proplastid, amyloplast, and amoeboid stages of plastid development. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cadmium-induced ultrastructural changes in chloroplasts of the leaves and stems parenchyma in Myriophyllum spicatum L.

After a 5 d cultivation in solutions with different concentrations of cadmium, changes in chloroplasts of the leaf and stem parenchyma from Myriophyllum spicatum L. were observed: swelling and merging of the grana thylakoids in various degrees, coagulation of the stroma as well as the formation of crystal-like structures in it, accompanied by changes in the plastoglobuli and starch. Concentrations of 3.5 and 6.0 g(Cd2+) m-3 caused a vast destruction of the whole plastid apparatus. Chloroplasts in the parenchyma of stems showed a reduction in the inner membrane system, and an increased number of plastoglobuli. A comparative analysis that we carried out indicated that the changes were not uniform and metal-specific.