Influence of heavy-metal contamination on plant response to water availability in white birch,Betula papyrifera |
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| Authors: | Kierann R. Santala Peter Ryser |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Government College University, Allama Iqbal Road, 38000 Faisalabad, Pakistan;2. Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), P.O. Box 128, Jhang road Faisalabad, Pakistan;1. Demonstration Laboratory of Proteomic Research, Laboratory Centre of Life Science, College of Life Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China;3. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China;1. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1, Shizishan Street, Hongshan District, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China;2. Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Rubber Tree, Ministry of Agriculture, Rubber Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou 571737, China;1. INRA, UMR1201 DYNAFOR, INRA-INPT/ENSAT, Chemin de Borde Rouge BP 52627, 31326 Castanet Tolosan Cedex, France;2. INRA, UR251 PESSAC, F-78026 Versailles Cedex, France;3. UMR CITERES 7324, ENSNP, Blois, France;4. IMBIV, CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina;1. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China;2. College of Biology and Environment Engineering, Guiyang University, Guiyang 550005, China;3. Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment, Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resource and Environment, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China;4. Center for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;1. Université de Cergy-Pontoise, L2MGC, 95000 Cergy-Pontoise, France;2. Cemex France, Centre Technique National, 94150 Rungis, France |
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| Abstract: | Elevated concentrations of heavy metals in growth substrate are known to reduce root growth more than shoot growth. We hypothesized an increased sensitivity to drought in plants exposed to heavy metals. The hypothesis was tested using birch seedlings grown on a substrate with three levels of Cu–Ni containing slag (0%, 0.5% and 2.5%) mixed with sand, and were either well watered or exposed to drought. The experiment was conducted outdoors for 4 months. Both the slag addition and low substrate moisture reduced plant dry mass. There was a significant slag × moisture interaction. The effect of moisture was most pronounced on slag-free substrate, whereas at the highest slag addition level there was no growth response to moisture. Stem diameter, length of radial file and cell size showed similar responses, but error variation was high and the individual effects were not always significant. The general picture is, however, clear, the effect of moisture on all growth parameters increasing with decreasing slag concentration in the substrate. We conclude that metal-contaminated substrate leads to an inability of the plants to respond to improved soil moisture, an effect which can be seen even at metal levels which do not show any large growth reduction. In addition, reduced plant size, caused by heavy metals, results in feedbacks that increase the relative availability of water and mineral nutrients. At the highest slag addition level, substrate moisture was slightly higher than in controls, probably due to a reduced transpiration, and the senescence was slower, probably due to lower nutrient requirements of the smaller plants. |
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