Multiple stressors in multiple species: Effects of different RDX soil concentrations and differential water-resourcing on RDX fate, plant health, and plant survival

PLoS One. 2020 Aug 14;15(8):e0234166. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234166. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Response to simultaneous stressors is an important facet of plant ecology and land management. In a greenhouse trial, we studied how eight plant species responded to single and combined effects of three soil concentrations of the phytotoxic munitions constituent RDX and two levels of water-resourcing. In an outdoor trial, we studied the effects of high RDX soil concentration and two levels of water-resourcing in three plant species. Multiple endpoints related to RDX fate, plant health, and plant survival were evaluated in both trials. Starting RDX concentration was the most frequent factor influencing all endpoints. Water-resourcing also had significant impacts, but in fewer cases. For most endpoints, significant interaction effects between RDX concentration and water-resourcing were observed for some species and treatments. Main and interaction effects were typically variable (significant in one treatment, but not in another; associated with increasing endpoint values for one treatment and/or with decreasing endpoint values in another). This complexity has implications for understanding how RDX and water-availability combine to impact plants, as well as for applications like phytoremediation. As an additional product of these greenhouse and outdoor trials, three plants native or naturalized within the southeastern United States were identified as promising species for further study as in situ phytoremediation resources. Plumbago auriculata exhibited relatively strong and markedly consistent among-treatment mean proportional reductions in soil RDX concentrations (112% and 2.5% of the means of corresponding values observed within other species). Likewise, across all treatments, Salvia coccinea exhibited distinctively low variance in mean leaf chlorophyll content index levels (6.5% of the means of corresponding values observed within other species). Both species also exhibited mean wilting and chlorosis levels that were 66% and 35%, and 67% and 84%, of corresponding values observed in all other plants, respectively. Ruellia caroliniensis exhibited at least 43% higher mean survival across all treatments than any other test species in outdoor trials, despite exhibiting similar RDX uptake and bioconcentration levels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acanthaceae / drug effects
  • Acanthaceae / growth & development
  • Acanthaceae / physiology
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Explosive Agents / administration & dosage
  • Explosive Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Explosive Agents / toxicity*
  • Military Facilities
  • Plant Development / drug effects
  • Plant Physiological Phenomena / drug effects
  • Plants / drug effects*
  • Plumbaginaceae / drug effects
  • Plumbaginaceae / growth & development
  • Plumbaginaceae / physiology
  • Salvia / drug effects
  • Salvia / growth & development
  • Salvia / physiology
  • Soil Pollutants / administration & dosage
  • Soil Pollutants / pharmacokinetics
  • Soil Pollutants / toxicity*
  • Southeastern United States
  • Stress, Physiological / drug effects
  • Triazines / administration & dosage
  • Triazines / toxicity*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / administration & dosage
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / pharmacokinetics
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / toxicity
  • Water Resources

Substances

  • Explosive Agents
  • Soil Pollutants
  • Triazines
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • cyclonite

Grants and funding

This study (EQI 17-076) was funded to RFL by the US Army 6.1 Basic Research Installations and Operational Environments Program. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.