We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Macrophytes and Emerging Contaminants: Insights on Removal and Toxicological Responses
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewing phytoremediation systems find that macrophytes independently remove emerging contaminants including microplastics, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products, but exposure triggers a toxicity-removal feedback loop — nanoplastics below 100 nm penetrate cell barriers, inhibit nitrogen-cycling enzymes, and erode the plant's long-term remediation capacity.
Phytoremediation has emerged as a sustainable and economically viable approach for wastewater treatment, with macrophytes playing a critical role in enhancing contaminant removal. However, existing literature predominantly emphasises the synergistic interaction between substrates and macrophytes, often overlooking the independent biological contributions and physiological "costs" borne by the macrophytes themselves. Amidst the growing prevalence of emerging contaminants (ECs) such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, it is essential to clarify their interactions with macrophytes and the consequent implications for plant vitality. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of how macrophytes independently facilitate the removal of ECs, while simultaneously evaluating the toxicological repercussions of such exposure. It highlights a critical toxicity-removal feedback loop in which EC-induced oxidative stress, membrane damage, and transcriptomic shifts can eventually diminish a plant's long-term remediation capacity. Novel insights are provided into the size-dependent toxicity of nanoplastics (100 nm), which, unlike larger microplastics, penetrate cellular barriers to inhibit nitrogen-cycling enzymes and disrupt rhizosphere exudation. Furthermore, this review explores the synergistic and antagonistic effects of complex chemical mixtures (e.g., chloroacetic acid and N-nitrosodimethylamine), demonstrating that combined stressors can trigger a collapse of antioxidant defense. By bridging the gap between removal efficiency and molecular toxicology, this study offers a new framework for species selection and the sustainable management of nature-based treatment systems in an era of complex chemical pollution.
More Papers Like This
Phytoremediation: A promising approach to remove microplastics from the aquatic environment
AI summary Read the abstract
This study investigated the interactions between aquatic macrophytes and microplastics as the basis for developing phytoremediation strategies, finding that certain macrophyte species can accumulate MPs from water and sediment and may be candidates for MP removal from contaminated aquatic environments.
Multi-omics reveals microplastics disrupt nitrogen assimilation in hydrophytes
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers used multi-omics approaches to investigate how microplastics and nanoplastics disrupt nitrogen assimilation pathways in hydrophytes, finding that plastic particle exposure impairs the nutrient removal function these aquatic plants provide in eutrophic water bodies.
Adsorption, uptake and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics: Effects on terrestrial plants and aquatic macrophytes
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes research on how micro- and nanoplastics interact with terrestrial plants and aquatic macrophytes, finding that many species can absorb or take up plastic particles. Both short-term and long-term plastic exposure triggered stress responses in plants, and since plants are at the base of food chains and a major part of the human diet, there is concern about plastics moving up through the food web. The findings suggest that plastic pollution could potentially affect plant productivity and broader ecosystem function.
Micro- and nano-plastics pollution and its potential remediation pathway by phytoremediation.
AI summary Read the abstract
This review proposed phytoremediation as a viable approach for removing micro- and nano-plastics from contaminated environments, reviewing evidence that plants can take up particles through roots and translocate them to shoots, and discussing the potential for hyperaccumulating species to be used in soil and water decontamination.
The threat of micro/nanoplastic to aquatic plants: current knowledge, gaps, and future perspectives
AI summary Read the abstract
This review summarizes what is known about how micro- and nanoplastics affect aquatic plants, including how plants absorb these particles through roots and leaves and transport them internally. Exposure can alter plant growth, photosynthesis, and interactions with other organisms, though effects vary widely depending on plastic type and concentration. The authors highlight major research gaps and call for more studies on real-world conditions rather than controlled lab settings.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.