The uptake of heavy metals by epiphytic bacteria on Alisma plantago-aquatica

Bacterial epiphytes on the surface of the fresh-water plant Alisma plantago-aquatica collected from a polluted river were found to be a major factor in contributing to the total metal concentrations of the plant. The removal of epiphytes from the leaf surface resulted in significant reductions in the concentrations of Cr (reduced by 15–50%), Cu (30–35%), Fe, Pb, and Zn (10–50%). While numbers of epiphytes and concentrations of heavy metals increased in samples collected from polluted water compared with from unpolluted water, the fraction of metals held by the epiphytes appeared to remain similar for all samples.