ENIVRONMENT ASIA

Volume 13, No. 03, Month SEPTEMBER, Year 2020, Pages 36 - 49

Genetic differentiation and bioaccumulation factor after heavy metal exposure in edible aquatic plants near a municipal landfill

Patcharin Ruchuwararak, Somsak Intamat, and Lamyai Neeratanaphan

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This study investigated heavy metal contamination levels and the related genetic differentiation in Limnocharis flava and Marsilea crenata near a municipal landfill compared with those in a reference area using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis. With the exception of Mn concentration in the water, the heavy metal concentrations (As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Mn and Zn) in the water and sediment of the landfi ll and reference areas were lower than the standards of Thailand. The heavy metal concentrations in the sediment from the landfi ll area were signifi cantly higher than those from the reference area, except for Mn. In L. fl ava and M. crenata from both areas, As, Pb and Cr concentrations were higher than the food standards of FAO/WHO. In the landfi ll area, the highest bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values for As (3.92 ± 0.80), Cd (3.23 ± 0.77), Pb (1.51 ± 0.08) and Mn (1.47 ± 0.46) were found in M. crenata. The highest BAF values for Cr (0.80 ± 0.60) and Zn (6.97 ± 0.47) were found in L. flava. The genetic similarity values ranged from 0.56 - 0.99 in L. flava and from 0.71 - 0.98 in M. crenata. This result suggested that the heavy metal concentrations in the 2 aquatic plant species might be a factor in genetic diff erentiation. M. crenata might be better able than L. fl ava to endure the harsh conditions and adapt to survive in the municipal landfi ll area. M. crenata is suggested for use in phytoremediation of As, Cd, Pb and Mn.

Keywords

Limnocharis fl ava; Marsilea crenata; Heavy metal; ISSR marker; DNA change

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