Effect of arsenic on reflectance spectra and chlorophyll fluorescence of aquatic plants

ANALÍA IRIEL; GAVIN DUNDAS; ALICIA FERNÁNDEZ CIRELLI; MARÍA GABRIELA LAGORIO

CHEMOSPHERE

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2015 p. 697 - 703

0045-6535

Arsenic pollution of groundwater is a serious problem in many regions of Latin America that causessevere risks to human health. As a consequence, non-destructive monitoring methodologies, sensitiveto arsenic presence in the environment and able to perform a rapid screening of large polluted areas,are highly sought-after. Both chlorophyll ? a fluorescence and reflectance of aquatic plants may be potentialindicators to sense toxicity in water media.In this work, the effects of arsenic on the optical and photophysical properties of leaves of differentaquatic plants (Vallisneria gigantea, Azolla filiculoides and Lemna minor) were evaluated. Reflectance spectrawere recorded for the plant leaves from 300 to 2400 nm. The spectral distribution of the fluorescencewas also studied and corrected for light re-absorption processes. Photosynthetic parameters (Fv/Fm andUPSII) were additionally calculated from the variable chlorophyll fluorescence recorded with a pulseamplitude modulated fluorometer.Fluorescence and reflectance properties for V. gigantea and A. filiculoides were sensitive to arsenic presencein contrast to the behaviour of L. minor. Observed changes in fluorescence spectra could be interpretedin terms of preferential damage in photosystem II. The quantum efficiency of photosystem IIfor the first two species was also affected, decreasing upon arsenic treatment. As a result of this research,V. gigantea and A. filiculoides were proposed as bioindicators of arsenic occurrence in aquatic media.