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Typha latifolia L. is an aquatic plant that has been widely exploited for the aims of phytoremediation. The main reason why we have chosen this plant species for the current study is its capacity to accumulate and detoxify heavy metals. The main topic of the investigation focused on the root uptake of copper (II) nitrate and copper (II) sulfate and the impact of different chemical copper species on the excreted organic acids. Oxalic, malic, acetic and lactic acids were determined using capillary electrophoresis; a comparison between the concentration and the time course during 7 days of treatment was performed. There is a correlation between the total copper (II) sulfate concentration in the roots and the total amount of the excreted organic acids. In addition to that organic acids are involved in the detoxification mechanisms of Typha latifolia for copper (II) nitrate and copper (II) sulfate. Different from so far investigated plant species the highest amounts of organic acids are excreted from T. latifolia roots not in the first hours after treatment, but up to 7 days later.

The effects of flooding on rhizospheric organic acid concentrations of three abundant flooding tolerant plant species (Alternanthera philoxeroides Mart., Arundinella anomala Steud., Salix variegata Franch.) from the water fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR, Yangtze River) were investigated. Soil solution samples of eight low molecular weight organic acids were obtained from rhizotrons using micro suction cups during 3 weeks of waterlogging, after 6 weeks flooding and after a 1 week recovery. To estimate the contribution of water temperature and microbial community, plants in sterile glass bead substrate and original Yangtze sediment were submerged in laboratory at +10°, +20° and +30°C. Waterlogged plants did seldom express a significantly different pattern of rhizospheric organic acid (OA) composition compared to control plants. Flooding caused no burst of organic acid concentration in soil solution: All species express a silencing strategy. Average OA levels were higher in A. anomala rhizosphere than in the other two species, but increased again after resurfacing in all species. Temperature had a stronger influence in sediment than in sterile setup. In contrast to field measurements, succinate, malate and citrate were detected in the sterile setup. Microbial contribution appeared to have great influence on increasing OA occurrence.

The construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China has a great influence on the ecosystems involved. In order to investigate these environmental effects in the Yangtze catchment area as well as downstream of the dam, Forschungszentrum Julich has organized a research network for the Chinese and German partners. In the research fields of (1) interaction water/sediment/contaminants, (2) vegetation/biodiversity, (3) changing land use/erosion/mass movements, and (4) atmosphere, the partners have accumulated a great deal of expertise in handling major issues and also in developing models and recommendations for action. The following provides an overview of the research network and the research tasks. On the German side, five projects in research field (3) have been in operation since 2008. The results are reported in contributions by Ehret et al., Jaehnig and Cai, Schonbrodt et al., and Seeber et al.. Another five projects in research field (1) have started by September 2010. The research tasks undertaken in these five projects are presented below.

The major topic of the present experiment was the investigation of the antioxidative enzymes and the root exudate excretion after plant exposure to copper. The copper was added for each treatment as copper sulphate and copper nitrate in the concentrations of 10 µM, 5 0 µM and 100 µM , respectively. The plant species chosen for the study was Typha latifolia. The experiment gives insight into the plant responses to different copper supplies during the same conditions of exposure. Remarkable results were obtained during the time course about the excretion of organic acids from Typha latifolia roots during one week of copper exposure. Oxalic acid, malic acid, acetic acid and lactic acid were detected. Interestingly, not all organic acids are excreted from the roots in the first hours after copper addition.