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Effects of silver nanoparticle exposure on germination and early growth of eleven wetland plants.

ABSTRACT: The increasing commercial production of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has led to concerns over the potential adverse impacts of these ENPs on biota in natural environments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used ENPs and are expected to enter natural ecosystems. Here we examined the effects of AgNPs on germination and growth of eleven species of common wetland plants. We examined plant responses to AgNP exposure in simple pure culture experiments (direct exposure) and for seeds planted in homogenized field soils in a greenhouse experiment (soil exposure). We compared the effects of two AgNPs-20-nm polyvinylpyrrolidine-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) and 6-nm gum arabic coated silver nanoparticles (GA-AgNPs)-to the effects of AgNO(3) exposure added at equivalent Ag concentrations (1, 10 or 40 mg Ag L(-1)). In the direct exposure experiments, PVP-AgNP had no effect on germination while 40 mg Ag L(-1) GA-AgNP exposure significantly reduced the germination rate of three species and enhanced the germination rate of one species. In contrast, 40 mg Ag L(-1) AgNO(3) enhanced the germination rate of five species. In general root growth was much more affected by Ag exposure than was leaf growth. The magnitude of inhibition was always greater for GA-AgNPs than for AgNO(3) and PVP-AgNPs. In the soil exposure experiment, germination effects were less pronounced. The plant growth response differed by taxa with Lolium multiflorum growing more rapidly under both AgNO(3) and GA-AgNP exposures and all other taxa having significantly reduced growth under GA-AgNP exposure. AgNO(3) did not reduce the growth of any species while PVP-AgNPs significantly inhibited the growth of only one species. Our findings suggest important new avenues of research for understanding the fate and transport of NPs in natural media, the interactions between NPs and plants, and indirect and direct effects of NPs in mixed plant communities.

SUBMITTER: Yin L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3473015 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of silver nanoparticle exposure on germination and early growth of eleven wetland plants.

Yin Liyan L Colman Benjamin P BP McGill Bonnie M BM Wright Justin P JP Bernhardt Emily S ES

PloS one 20121016 10

The increasing commercial production of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) has led to concerns over the potential adverse impacts of these ENPs on biota in natural environments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used ENPs and are expected to enter natural ecosystems. Here we examined the effects of AgNPs on germination and growth of eleven species of common wetland plants. We examined plant responses to AgNP exposure in simple pure culture experiments (direct exposure) and for ...[more]

PMID: 23091638

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Project description:Migratory waterbirds disperse a broad range of angiosperms by endozoochory (seed dispersal via gut passage), especially plants in coastal wetlands. However, there is no previous information about the capacity of seeds to remain in the seed bank after waterbird endozoochory, and very little about how wetland salinity can influence the effect of gut passage on germination. We collected seeds of Juncus subulatus (Juncaceae), Bolboschoenus maritimus, and Schoenoplectus litoralis (Cyperaceae) from Doñana marshes in Spain. All three species are considered to have physiological dormancy. After gut passage following ingestion by ducks, seeds were stored in darkness in solutions with six different conductivities (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 dSm-1), for periods of 1, 6, or 12 months to simulate presence in a seed bank. After storage, 1800 seeds of each plant species assigned to these treatments were subjected to germination tests in demineralized water, together with 1800 control seeds that had not been ingested before storage. All species germinated readily after storage, with or without gut passage beforehand. Storage time and salinity both had important effects on germinability and time to germination, which differed between control and ingested seeds, and between plant species. After ≥6 months, germinability of Cyperaceae was enhanced by gut passage (≤25% higher than control seeds) at some salinities. Only J. subulatus showed consistently lower germinability after passage (≤30%). Only B. maritimus showed consistently slower germination after passage (≤33%). Salinity effects were more complex after passage, but increasing salinity did not generally have a negative impact on germination of ingested seeds. When compared to additional seeds that had not been stored before germination tests, storage reduced germinability in J. subulatus (≤39% reduction), but increased it in B. maritimus (≤17%) and S. litoralis (≤46%). Seeds dispersed by waterbird endozoochory may be easily incorporated into wetland seed banks, where they can remain halotolerant and delay germination until conditions become suitable. This can benefit wetland plants by increasing rates of long-distance dispersal, gene flow, and establishment of new populations. Avian gut passage can have positive and species-specific effects on germination in plants with persistent seed banks and/or physiological dormancy.

Dataset Information

Effects of silver nanoparticle exposure on germination and early growth of eleven wetland plants.

Publications

Effects of silver nanoparticle exposure on germination and early growth of eleven wetland plants.

Similar Datasets

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