DEGRADATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC CONTAMINANTS BY HIGHER PLANTS

Abstract

Elimination of contaminants from the environment by microorganisms of different taxonomic groups is an evolutionarily determined property, which have already been widely discussed. Until recently, plants still occupying above 40% of the world land, were considered as organisms having only a limited potential for contaminants conjugation and accumulation within cell organelles. Based on 40 years experience in this area author is making an attempts for the evaluation of different aspects of plants ecological potential from the modern understanding; to assume mechanism of inter replacement of enzymes participating in oxidative degradation of organic contaminants in higher plants; to stress the importance of phenoloxidase, enzyme hitherto unknown to participate actively in remediation processes (contaminants oxidative decomposition); to reveal the criterion for the evaluation under the action of contaminants of such precise indicator of plant detoxification potential as deviations in ultrastructural level of plant cells.

Keywords

• higher plants
• anthropogenic contaminants
• oxidative degradation
• phenoloxidase