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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Salt marshes are transition zones between land and sea, exposed to several sources of
different pollutants, including heavy metals, which tend to be accumulated in sediments. Halophyte
vegetation which colonises sediments affects retention and biovailability of the pollutants that reach
salt marsh areas. The accumulation capacity and the pattern of metal distribution in salt marsh plant
tissues vary among plant species, and with sediment characteristics. The aim of this study was to
survey the behaviour of Spartina maritima and Sarcocornia fruticosa on heavy metals contents and
distribution amongst sediment and plant tissues in an European Southwestern lagoon (Ria Formosa,
Portugal). Both species could fix metals from the surrounding belowground environment and accumulate
them mainly in roots (and in rhizomes for S. maritima). Metal translocation to aerial organs
was residual. S. maritima acted as a more effective metal stabiliser than S. fruticosa.
Description
Keywords
Salt marshes Heavy metals Halophyte vegetation Phytoremediation