Interaction between Essential Elements-Zinc and Iron and Metal Pollutants-Cadmium and Lead on Cell Division and Chromosome Aberrations in Vallisneria spiralis L.

Abstract

Increasing industrial use of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium and lead has become a global problem resulting in water pollution by these metals in industrial waste effluents. Toxicity of such heavy metals may be altered by antagonistic interactions between toxic and essential cations (Bunn and Matrone 1966, Anke et al. 1970, Lepp 1977, Petering 1978, Jana et al. 1987). Antagonism between cadmium and zinc has been reported in Euglena gracilis (Falchuk et al. 1975) and in Daphnia magna (Attar and Maly 1982). Extensive studies have been carried out on the antagonisitc action of iron on lead toxicity in animals (Finley and Dieter 1978, Anders and Hill 1982, Stone and Fox 1984). Interaction studies in plants, however, are limited. Information on cytotoxicity of heavy metal pollutants in higher aquatic plants is meagre and no information is available on the action of Pb+Fe or Cd+Zn on plants. In the present investigation, the effects of toxic heavy metals lead and cadmium and the interaction with essential elements iron and zinc respectively, have been observed on the common aquatic weed Vallisneria spiralis, with respect to cell division, chromosomal abnormalities and metal uptake. © 1990, Japan Mendel Society, International Society of Cytology. All rights reserved.