PAHs are a group of ubiquitous environmental organic pollutants. They penetrate into the food chain and act as potential carcinogens, mutagens and teratogens for all living organisms including humans. Plants as a dominant biotic component of terrestrial ecosystems take up and accumulate a substantial portion of these compounds from the environment. The abilities of the plant to uptake, translocate, metabolise and accumulate PAHs are determinant factors for phytotoxicity of these compounds, which affect several physiological and biochemical processes, which contribute to biomass production, quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of the project will bring a new insight into the mechanisms of interactions of PAHs and plants. The interactions will be studied simultaneously at cellular and organ levels. The new quantitative data on toxicity of fluoranthene to photosynthetic apparatus (Hill reaction, chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic pigments content) will be used for early indication of fluoranthene effect. New methodology will be developed and incorporated into special courses for students of biology.

Results