Effects of antibiotics on the photosynthetic apparatus of plants

Abstract

Antibiotics as environmental pollutants can affect both the morphology and physiology of higher plants. The first visible symptoms of damage caused by antibiotics are chlorotic changes resulting from the degradation of chlorophyll and the impairment of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway, followed by damage to PS II and disturbances in the electron flow between the photosystems. Research on the effects of antibiotics, on plants has recently intensified, however, our understanding of this problem is still far from complete. This paper provides a review of current data on the impacts antibiotics on plant photosynthetic apparatus.

Keywords

• antibiotics
• chlorophyll
• degradation
• plants