How Water Lettuce Fights Pollution in Dirty Water

Water lettuce, also known as Pistia stratiotes, is a hardy plant that can help clean up polluted water. This plant is often found in places where water is dirty due to mining waste. Understanding how water lettuce handles different pollutants is key to using it for cleaning up water. The plant was tested with iron, manganese, and arsenic, both alone and in combination. After 10 days, the plants showed signs of stress like dead patches, yellowing, and lost roots. The pollutants built up in the plant tissues, but the combinations of pollutants did not make this worse. The roots had less nutrients, and their structure changed. The plants had trouble moving sugar around, which is important for their energy. This is because the pollutants messed up the plant's transport system. Interestingly, the plants' ability to use light for energy did not change much. However, their ability to take in carbon dioxide dropped, except for the plants treated with manganese alone. This shows that the pollutants affect how the plants breathe and grow. The plants fought back against the pollution by increasing their antioxidant defenses. This is like how humans fight off sickness. The plants with iron and iron-combined treatments showed the strongest response. This helped them stay balanced and reduce the damage from the pollutants. This is a good sign for using water lettuce in polluted waters. The good news is that combining these metals does not make it harder for water lettuce to clean up polluted water. This means water lettuce could be a useful tool for cleaning up water in places affected by mining waste. However, more research is needed to fully understand how these plants work and how to use them effectively.