R6 AM Plant Uptake of Organic Pollutants - Processes and Modeling
Thursday, 17 November 2005: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM in 324-326

(WIL-1117-821971) A novel approach to understand the uptake and storage compartments of organic chemicals in vegetation: implications for our current state of knowledge.

Wild, E¹, Dent, J¹, Thomas, G¹, Jones, K¹, ¹ Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

ABSTRACT- Vegetation plays an important role in the environmental fate of many organic chemicals. It is well know that atmospheric organic chemicals uptake to plant surfaces, and soil bound xenobiotics become associated with roots ; however there is significant uncertainty as to the fates of these chemicals, including uptake, storage, transport and degradation processes once sorbed to vegetation. New approaches to tackle these uncertainties; through the use of two photon excitation microscopy (TPEM), and chemical and plant autofluorescence have provided a method for visualising exactly where these chemicals are residing within the plant. This has been achieved for both air uptake to leaves and soil uptake to roots. These findings are casting significant doubt upon many of our common assumptions with regards to air/vegetation and soil/root uptake.

Key words: Visualisation, Xenobiotic, Uptake, Vegetation