Morphological and Physiological Responses of Plants to Cadmium Toxicity： A Review

• Published in: Pedosphere Vol. 27; no. 3; pp. 421 - 438
• Main Authors: HE, Shanying, YANG, Xiaoe, HE, Zhenli, BALIGAR, Virupax C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2017; Elsevier Science Ltd; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling,Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012 China%Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 China%Indian River Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences(IFAS), University of Florida, Fort Pierce FL 34945 USA%USDA-ARS, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville MD 20705 USA
• Subjects: Accumulators; Cadmium; Environmental quality; Flowers & plants; Food contamination; Food quality; Food security; heavy metal; Heavy metals; hyperaccumulator; Information processing; metal accumulation; mineral elements; Minerals; Morphology; Photosynthesis; Physiological responses; Physiology; Phytoremediation; Plant extracts; Sediment pollution; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Soil stresses; Stress response; Toxicity; Transport; water transport; Water uptake; 形态反应; 植物修复技术; 植物提取物; 生理反应; 生理过程; 综述; 重金属污染土壤; 镉毒害; metal accumulation; hyperaccumulator; photosynthesis; water transport; mineral elements; heavy metal; phytoremediation; water uptake
• ISSN: 1002-0160; 2210-5107
• DOI: 10.1016/S1002-0160(17)60339-4

Cadmium （Cd） contamination has posed an increasing challenge to environmental quality and food security. In recent years, phytoremediation has been particularly scrutinized because it is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, especially the use of metal-hyperaccumulating plants to extract or mine heavy metals from polluted soils. Under Cd stress, responses of hyperaccumulator and non-hyperaccumulator plants differ in morphological responses and physiological processes such as photosynthesis and respiration, uptake, transport, and assimilation of minerals and nitrogen, and water uptake and transport, which contribute to their ability to accumulate and detoxify Cd. This review aims to provide a brief overview of the recent progresses in the differential responses of hyperaccumulator and non-accumulator plants to Cd toxicity in terms of growth and physiological processes. Such information might be useful in developing phytoremediation technology for contaminated soils.