Morphology and Physiology of Plants Growing on Highly Polluted Mining Wastes

Biological methods have been described and suggested as a useful tool in studies on plant growth, development, and phytoremediation abilities in heavily polluted soil. Pot experiments are easier in practice, although field studies show a clearer picture of plant response to the stressors present in a polluted environment. Speciation (a form of toxic element), as well as mycorrhiza in the soil, play a role which is hard to overestimate. The enzymatic activity involved in this process will be discussed in this chapter. Plants used for recultivation should show a wide ecological tolerance to stressors. Plant resistance to trace elements (TE), induced systematic resistance (ISR), as well as root architecture alterations indicate a defence strategy in response to TE and possible TE accumulation in the tissue, with successful phytoremediation. Long-term exposure of plants to extremely high concentration levels of TE damages both their roots and functioning.