Bioaccumulation of potentially toxic elements by submerged plants and biofilms: A critical review

Nan Geng; Yichao Wu; Ming Zhang; Daniel C W Tsang; Jörg Rinklebe; Yinfeng Xia; Debao Lu; Lifang Zhu; Kumuduni Niroshika Palansooriya; Ki-Hyun Kim; Yong Sik Ok

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105015

Bioaccumulation of potentially toxic elements by submerged plants and biofilms: A critical review

Environ Int. 2019 Oct:131:105015. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105015. Epub 2019 Jul 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ College of Water Conservancy and Environment Engineering, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou, China; Korea Biochar Research Center, O-Jeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI) & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
² State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
³ Department of Environmental Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
⁵ School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Institute of Soil Engineering, Waste- and Water Science, Soil- and Groundwater-Management, Pauluskirchstraße 7, 42285 Wuppertal, Germany; Department of Environment, Energy and Geoinformatics, Sejong University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁶ College of Water Conservancy and Environment Engineering, Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Hangzhou, China.
⁷ Korea Biochar Research Center, O-Jeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI) & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
⁸ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kkim61@hanyang.ac.kr.
⁹ Korea Biochar Research Center, O-Jeong Eco-Resilience Institute (OJERI) & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yongsikok@korea.ac.kr.

PMID: 31369978
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105015

Abstract

The accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in aquatic ecosystems has become a global concern, as PTEs may exert a wide range of toxicological impacts on aquatic organisms. Submerged plants and the microorganisms attached to their surfaces, however, have displayed great potential as a means of coping with such pollution. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the transport pathways of PTEs across sediment and organisms as well as their accumulation mechanisms in the presence of submerged plants and their biofilms. The majority of previous studies have demonstrated that submerged plants and their biofilms are indicators of PTE pollution in the aquatic environment, yet relatively little is known about PTE accumulation in epiphytic biofilms. In this review, we describe the transport pathways of PTEs in the aquatic environment in order to offer remarkable insights into bioaccumulation mechanisms in submerged plants and their biofilms. Based on the literature cited in this review, the roles of epiphytic biofilms in bioaccumulation and as an indicator of ecosystem health are discussed.

Keywords: Bioaccumulation; Biofilm; Indicator species; Potentially toxic element; Submerged plant.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Bioaccumulation*
Biofilms
Humans
Plants / drug effects*