Bioswales are a type of green infrastructure many cities are utilizing to mitigate the environmental impact of urbanization. Specifically, bioswales are a means to mitigate urban pollutants from washing into waterways, and they are designed to use phytoremediation to sequester those pollutants. While research shows bioswales effectively sequester heavy metals associated with urban impervious surfaces like parking lots, there is also evidence that removing heavy metals from aquatic ecosystems recycles those contaminants into terrestrial ecosystems via herbivory and nectary production. However, the impact of cadmium, a prevalent contaminant in urban stormwater, on the seedling establishment and growth of <i>Helianthus annuus</i>, a known hyperaccumulator, is unclear. This research assessed the seedling establishment rate in an assay of cadmium-spiked environments, and it employed atomic absorption spectroscopy to identify the cadmium content in seeds, shoots, roots, and leachate in a simulated bioswale system. Results will be presented.

Phytoremediation in <i>Helianthus annuus</i>: Seedling establishment inhibition and translocation of cadmium in a simulated bioswale system

2019 Spring National Meeting

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Phytoremediation in Helianthus annuus: Seedling establishment inhibition and translocation of cadmium in a simulated bioswale system