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Influence of UV radiation on chlorophyll, and antioxidant enzymes of wetland plants in different types of constructed wetland

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Abstract

A surface- and vertical subsurface-flow-constructed wetland were designed to study the response of chlorophyll and antioxidant enzymes to elevated UV radiation in three types of wetland plants (Canna indica, Phragmites austrail, and Typha augustifolia). Results showed that (1) chlorophyll content of C. indica, P. austrail, and T. augustifolia in the constructed wetland was significantly lower where UV radiation was increased by 10 and 20 % above ambient solar level than in treatment with ambient solar UV radiation (p < 0.05). (2) The malondialdehyde (MDA) content, guaiacol peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities of wetland plants increased with elevated UV radiation intensity. (3) The increased rate of MDA, SOD, POD, and CAT activities of C. indica, P. australis, and T. angustifolia by elevated UV radiation of 10 % was higher in vertical subsurface-flow-constructed wetland than in surface-flow-constructed wetland. The sensitivity of MDA, SOD, POD, and CAT activities of C. indica, P. austrail, and T. augustifolia to the elevated UV radiation was lower in surface-flow-constructed wetland than in the vertical subsurface-flow-constructed wetland, which was related to a reduction in UV radiation intensity through the dissolved organic carbon and suspended matter in the water. C. indica had the highest SOD and POD activities, which implied it is more sensitive to enhanced UV radiation. Therefore, different wetland plants had different antioxidant enzymes by elevated UV radiation, which were more sensitive in vertical subsurface-flow-constructed wetland than in surface-flow-constructed wetland.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology (Grant Nos. KYQ1206, JKLAM2012 01), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40901257), a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmosphere Environment and Equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Agricultural Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Defu Xu, Yinjuan Wu & Xiaodong Jiang

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China

    Defu Xu, Yingxue Li, Yidong Guan & Yongxia Gao

  3. Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AB, UK

    Alan Howard

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  1. Defu Xu
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Correspondence to Defu Xu.

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Xu, D., Wu, Y., Li, Y. et al. Influence of UV radiation on chlorophyll, and antioxidant enzymes of wetland plants in different types of constructed wetland. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 10108–10119 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2909-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2909-5

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