Typha Domingenius—A Potential Tool for Bioremediation of Wetlands as Relevant to Environmental Forensics: A Case Study from Palo Verde, Costa Rica

Abstract

Cattail, Typha dominguensis, is commonly found in large quantities throughout the wetlands of North and Central America. Often considered a nuisance, it can grow rapidly and literally expand to cover the landscape in a short period of time. Several regions have experienced dramatic increases in cattail growth in recent years. These regions include vast areas in North, Central, and South America. Nutrient levels (N, P, and K) were measured in samples collected within the rice fields, in the tailwater, and within the Typha dominguensis dominated wetlands. These levels were referenced to the water entering from the irrigation system to determine the degree of nutrient transport and to determine their impact on the biota of the wetlands. Data supports the supposition that Typha dominguensis growth increase dramatically as a result of the infusion of nutrients from agricultural runoff. The data accumulated in this study also indicate that the Typha dominguensis has the propensity to absorb very large amounts of these nutrients, especially P, and to act as a giant sink for those materials. The implications of these finding may be significant as Typha dominguensis could provide an important tool for bioremediation of wetlands contaminated with P and other nutrients which become pollutants when used in excess and are usually associated with agricultural runoff. At the same time, this plant species could also prove useful in environmental forensics investigations tracking the occurrence and passage of contaminants associated with agricultural runoff (especially P).