Gülriz Bayçu

An Abandoned Copper Mining Site in Cyprus and Assessment of Metal Concentrations in Plants and Soil

Mining is an important source of metal pollution in the environment and abandoned mines are extremely restricted habitats for plants. Some plant species growing on metalliferous soils around mine tailings and spoil-heaps are metal-tolerant and accumulate high concentrations of metals. In this investigation, we aimed to perform a research in the CMC-abandoned copper mining area in Lefke-North Cyprus to assess the recent metal pollution in soil and plant systems. We collected 16 soil samples and 25 plant species from 8 localities around the vicinity of tailing ponds. Some concentrations of metals in soil samples varied from 185 to 1023 mg kg−1 Cu, 15.2 to 59.2 mg kg−1 Ni, 2.3 to 73.6 mg kg−1 Cd and metals for plants ranged from 0.135 to 283 mg kg−1 Cu, 0.26 to 31.2 mg kg−1 Ni, 0.143 to 277 mg kg−1 Cd. Atriplex semibaccata, Acacia cyanophylla, Erodium spp., Inula viscosa, Juncus sp., Oxalis pes-caprea, Pistacia lentiscus, Senecio vulgaris and Tragopogon sinuatus accumulated higher concentrations. BCF for Atriplex semibaccata was found very high, for this reason this plant can tentatively be considered as a hyperaccumulator of Cu and Cd, but it needs further investigation for its potential in phytoremediation.

Cadmium Tolerance and Cadmium-Binding Polypeptides in Ailanthus Altissima

Cadmium-binding polypeptides (Cd-BPs) are produced by higher plants and some fungi in response to cadmium (Cd) exposure. They are presumably involved in detoxification and homeostasis. In this investigation, we analyzed Cd-BP production in the 200μM CdSO4 exposed Ailanthus altissima (Miller) Swingle roots and we detected fast migrating low-molecular weight (LMW) Cd-BPs, most likely phytochelatins, in addition several slow migrating high-molecular weight (HMW) Cd-BPs which play role in Cd-tolerance.

Effect of mercury on pollen germination and tube growth in Lilium longiflorum

Pollen development and germination were adversely affected by the presence of mercury, whereas low-concentrations stimulated the whole procedure. Mercury caused morphological anomalies during the tube growth, characterized by irregularly increasing diameters and swelling tips. The main effect was the anomalous cell wall formation at the tip where a substantial number of organelles were found reducing the secretory vesicles. The dense organelle concentration caused a significant reduction of cytoplasmic movement integrity, and the cytosol streaming was gradually reduced or stopped completely. Electron dense, multilamellar myelin-like structures (MMS) of membranous material were frequently present, in close contact with plasmalemma or away from it. A loose network of fibrillar material and spherical aggregates mostly at the tip region were observed which progressively were loosened into the surrounding medium. Elevated mercury concentrations can affect plant reproduction, resulting in anomalies in gamete development and consequently loss of plant biodiversity.