Abstract
Introduction
Increasing demand for water has stimulated efforts to treat wastewater for reuse in agriculture. Decentralized facilities for wastewater treatment became popular as a solution to remote and small communities. These systems mimic natural wetlands, cleaning wastewater as they flow through a complex of filter media, microbial fauna, and vegetation. The function of plants in constructed wetlands (CWs) has not been fully elucidated yet.
Discussion
In the research reported here, we provide evidence for a new use of plant physiological parameters in CWs as bioindicators of water quality along the system. We measured improved plant performance downstream of the CW by means of photochemical efficiency, CO2 assimilation rate, and cell membrane stability. In addition, we found evidence for temporal improvement of plant performance, which was correlated to the establishment phase of plants in a newly operating CW. It is suggested that improved monitoring and management of CWs should take into planning consideration the promising potential of phyto-indicators.
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Acknowledgments
The Southern Arava Sustainable Waste Management Plan was funded by the EU LIFE Fund. The CW were planned and designed by Eli Cohen—Ayala Water and Ecology and Yael Ben Zvi of Ofra Aqua Plants, landscape design and construction by Kibbutz Neot Smadar. We wish to thank Kibbutz Neot Smadar and staff for the opportunity to make this research.
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Shelef, O., Golan-Goldhirsh, A., Gendler, T. et al. Physiological parameters of plants as indicators of water quality in a constructed wetland. Environ Sci Pollut Res 18, 1234–1242 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0473-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0473-9