The Uptake of Lead and Copper by Submerged Aquatic Macrophytes in Two English Lakes

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Abstract
Uptake of Pb and Cu by 9 taxa [Potamogeton crispus, P. perfoliatus, Potamogeton spp., Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Littorella uniflora, Isoetes lacustris, Characeae Fontinalis antipyretica] of submerged aquatic macrophytes from Ullswater and Coniston Water in the English Lake District was investigated by analysis of plant, sediment and water samples collected by sub-aqua diving. Concentrations of Pb and Cu were high in the shoots and roots and in the lake sediments, but low in the lake water. Positive correlations were found between the metal concentrations in submerged shoots and in the underlying sediments from a range of sample sites; no correlations were found between concentrations in shoots and in lake water samples. The findings are discussed and interpreted in the light of recent experimental data on translocation of metals by submerged water plants. The enrichment of metals in the shoots is largely derived from the high metal concentrations in the sediments. Two pathways for the transfer of metals from the sediments to the shoots are apparent. Pb accumulation in the shoots is the result of adsorption from the water. Cu accumulation is due mainly to absorption by the roots and translocation within the plant to the shoots; direct adsorption from the water into the shoots can also occur.