Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Plants Effects of Trace Metals on
Trace metals occur as natural constituents of the earth's crust, and are ever present constituents of soils, natural waters and living matter. The biological significance of this disparate assemblage of elements has gradually been uncovered during the twe
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Effects of Trace Metals on Plant Function
POLLUTION MONITORING SERIES Advisory Editor: Professor Kenneth Mellanby Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon
EFFECT OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTION ON PLANTS Volume 1
Effects of Trace Metals on Plant Function Edited by
N. W. LEPP Departmcnt of Bi%gL LiL'erpoo/ Polrtechnic. Lil'ClpOO/. UK
APPLIED SCIENCE PUBLISHERS LONDON and NEW JERSEY
APPLIED SCIENCE PUBLISHERS .LTD Ripple Road, Barking, Essex, England APPLIED SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, INC. Englewood, New Jersey 01631, USA
Effect of heavy metal pollution on plants.(Pollution monitoring series) Vol. I: Effects of trace metals on plant function I . Plants. Effects of heavy metals on I. Lepp, N. W. II . Series 58 15222 QK 153.H4 ISBN 978·94-011-7341 -4 ISBN 978·94·011·7339-1 (eBook) 001 10.10071978-94-011 -7339·1 WITH 36 TABLES AND 16 ILLUSTRATIONS 10 APP LI ED SCIENCE PUBLISHERS LTD 1981 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st editiOn 1981
All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system. or transmilled in any form or by any means. electronic. mechanical. photocopying. recording. or otherwise. without the prior written permission of the publishers, Applied Science Publishers Ltd, Ripple Road , Barking. Essex. England
Preface
Trace metals occur as natural constituents of the earth's crust, and are ever present constituents of soils, natural waters and living matter. The biological significance of this disparate assemblage of elements has gradually been uncovered during the twentieth century; the resultant picture is one of ever-increasing complexity. Several of these elements have been demonstrated to be essential to the functions of living organisms, others appear to only interact with living matter in a toxic manner, whilst an ever-decreasing number do not fall conveniently into either category. When the interactions between trace metals and plants are considered, one must take full account of the known chemical properties of each element. Consideration must be given to differences in chemical reactivity, solubility and to interactions with other inorganic and organic molecules. A clear understanding of the basic chemical properties of an element of interest is an essential pre-requisite to any subsequent consideration of its biological significance. Due consideration to basic chemical considerations is a theme which runs through the collection of chapters in both volumes. Perhaps the single most important stimulus to the rapid expansion of research in this field has been the great strides made in analytical techniques, particularly during the past decade. In many respects these advances have proceeded more rapidly than our ability to place the resultant data in its proper perspective; each increase in analytical sensitivity or reduction of detection limits has highlighted the inherent problems of sample contamination. In addition, the present dependence of most readily-available techniques on liquid samples results in the production of complex analytica
