Heavy metal contamination resulting from anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in the modern world. Progress toward creating modified plants that are more efficient in phytoremediation requires an understanding of the anatomical and ultrastructural changes involved in heavy metal accumulation. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2016) 40: 652-660 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article Anatomical and ultrastructural responses of Brassica napus after long-term exposure to excess zinc 1, 1 1 2 Seyed Mousa MOUSAVI KOUHI *, Mehrdad LAHOUTI , Ali GANJEALI , Mohammad H. ENTEZARI 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran 2 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: Heavy metal contamination resulting from anthropogenic activities is one of the major environmental problems in the modern world. Progress toward creating modified plants that are more efficient in phytoremediation requires an understanding of the anatomical and ultrastructural changes involved in heavy metal accumulation. A large supply of zinc (Zn) is toxic for plants and can lead to functional and structural disorders. The present study investigates the anatomical and ultrastructural responses of Brassica napus (rapeseed) to excess Zn after long-term exposure. Results showed that Zn bioaccumulation in the roots and leaves of plants treated with 350 µM Zn2+ was severely increased, leading to a variety of anatomical and ultrastructural alterations in several cell types. Overall, although B. napus has been reported as a metal-accumulator species, our data revealed that B. napus cultivar Hayola 401 could not tolerate a high concentration of Zn and thus is not a good candidate for Zn phytoremediation. Key words: Heavy metals, phytoremediation, soil contamination, zinc 1. Introduction The modern world is facing a major environmental problem, that of heavy metal contamination (Li et al., 2006). The progressive release of heavy metals into the environment resulting from anthropogenic activities, such as mining, smelting of metalliferous ores, .
