Zinc tolerance, uptake, accumulation and distribution in plants and protoplasts of five European populations of the wetland grass Glyceria fluitans

Abstract

Five populations of Glyceria fluitans (L.) R. Br. from metal-contaminated and non-contaminated sites across Europe were investigated for innate zinc tolerance. The plants were grown hydroponically in zinc-amended nutrient solutions. Growth and survival of plants from all five populations occurred at all levels of elevated zinc treatments (2, 300, 600 and 1000 μmol L −1 ZnSO 4·7H 2O). There were only slight differences in growth between the populations from contaminated and non-contaminated sites. Uptake of zinc did differ between populations, but this did not affect tolerance. The findings support the theory that wetland angiosperm species tend to be tolerant to exposure to high levels of metals, regardless of their origin.