Foliar
uptake of cesium from the water column by aquatic macrophytes
J.E. Pinder III a,1, T.G. Hinton a,*,
F.W. Whicker b
a Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia,
Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29801, USA
b Department of Environmental and Radiological Health
Sciences, Colorado State University,
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1618, USA
Abstract
The probable occurrence and rate of foliar absorption of stable cesium
(133Cs) from the water column by aquatic macrophyte species
was analyzed following the addition of 133Cs into a small reservoir
near Aiken, South Carolina, USA. An uptake parameter u (103
Lkg-1 d-1) and a loss rate parameter k
(d-1) were estimated for each species using time series of
133Cs concentrations in the water and plant tissues. Foliar
uptake, as indicated by rapid increases in plant concentrations following
the 133Cs addition, occurred in two floating-leaf species,
Brasenia schreberi and Nymphaea odorata, and two submerged species,
Myriophyllum spicatum and Utricularia inflata. These
species had values of u > 0.75 x 103 L kg-1
d-1. Less evidence for foliar uptake was observed in three
emergent species, including Typha latifolia. Ratios of u
to k for B. schreberi, M. spicatum, N. odorata and U.
inflata can be used to estimate concentration ratios (CR) at equilibrium,
and these estimates were generally within a factor of 2 of the CR for
137Cs for these species in the same reservoir. This correspondence
suggests that foliar uptake of Cs was the principal absorption mechanism
for these species. Assessments of: (1) the prevalence of foliar uptake
of potassium, rubidium and Cs isotopes by aquatic macrophytes and (2)
the possible importance of foliar uptake of Cs in other lentic systems
are made from a review of foliar uptake studies and estimation of comparable
u and k values from lake studies involving Cs releases.
Keywords: Cesium; Macrophytes; Foliar uptake; Water column; Lake models; Brasenia schreberi; Myriophyllum spicatum; Nymphaea odorata; Typha latifolia; Utricularia inflata
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: 803 725 7454; fax: 803 725 7314.
E-mail address: thinton@srel.edu (T.G. Hinton).
1
Present address: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences,
Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1618, USA.
SREL Reprint #2923
Pinder III, J.E. , T.G. Hinton and F.W. Whicker. 2005. Foliar uptake of cesium from the water column by aquatic macrophytes. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 85(1): 23-47.
