Physiological response of Saussurea ussuriensis to Pb stress in Pb polluted and non-polluted areas
A hydroponics was used to study the physiological response of Saussurea ussuriensis.to Pb stress.Two samples of S.ussuriensis were from a Pb-polluted area in Huixian and a non-polluted area in Gannan,respectively.The aim was to explore the ecological adaptation mechanism of the two S.ussuriensis populations to Pb stress.The results showed that,at different Pb concentrations,the chlorophyll content of S.ussuriensis from the polluted area increased first and then decreased,while that from the non-polluted area showed a decreasing trend.The antioxidase enzyme activity of both S.ussuriensis populations increased first and then decreased,but the resistance of S.ussuriensis from the polluted area was stronger.The MDA contents of both S.ussuriensis populations increased with Pb concentrations,but it was significantly higher in the nonpolluted group than in the polluted group.The soluble protein contents of both S.ussuriensis populations decreased,being significantly higher in the polluted group than in the non-polluted group.The variations in physiological indexes of S.ussuriensis from the polluted area indicated an adaptive evolution,forming a heavy metal-resistance ecotype.