title: Role of Rhizophagus irregularis in alleviating cadmium toxicity via improving the growth, micro- and macroelements uptake in Phragmites australis.
abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi have been used to alleviate heavy metal stress on plant growth and uptake of micro- and macroelements. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to verify the effects of AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis on the growth, physiological characteristics, total Cd, and element uptake of Phragmites australis under different Cd stress (in the range of 0-20 mg L-1). The results showed that the symbiosis could effectively alleviate Cd toxicity with greater root biomass, higher photosynthesis rate, and lower levels of malonaldehyde (MDA) and proline than non-mycorrhizal plants could. However, reduced transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (gs) indicated R. irregularis protected host plants from Cd stress (≥5 mg L-1) via the stomatal closure. Although micro- and macroelements displayed differently in the presence of Cd, higher concentrations were still detected in mycorrhizal plants in contrast to non-mycorrhizal plants. Moreover, step multiple regression significantly demonstrated Pnmax, stem diameter (Sd), and gswere the important factors with regard to total Cd uptake in the symbiosis, but Mn affected to non-mycorrhizal plants. These results suggested R. irregularis could alleviate the competition between Mn and Cd by altering plant physiology. This work clearly demonstrated that R. irregularis can be able to support P. australis growth better even though under high Cd stress (>1 mg L-1), suggesting its good potential for practical use in high Cd-contaminated areas.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaochen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People's Republic of China. mafang@hit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People's Republic of China. stephen6949@hit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shih-Hsin
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science, Liaoning University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110036, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jieting
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shishu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055137:Glomeromycota / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D006109:Poaceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium
keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus; Cd stress; Micro- and macroelements uptake; Photosynthesis