The use of Lemna minor L. (Lemnaceae) as assessor of water quality in the Big South Fork River, Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee-Kentucky

Author

Margaret Dianne Parks

Date of Award

12-1993

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Botany

Major Professor

Clifford C. Amundsen

Committee Members

James D. Caponetti, J. Frank McCormick, B. Eugene Woffard

Abstract

This research investigated the applicability of the response of Lemna minor L. as an indicative, site specific, bioassay of water quality within a riverine system. This standardized bioassay test (ASTM, 1992) does not quantify or specify pollutants, but provides a qualitative, seasonal assessment of phytotoxicity at the primary producer level of the food chain for sample sites. Our intention was to interpret the growth constraints of accessible site water collections in terms of the integrated capability of the BSF as a biotic substrate. It was concluded that Lemna minor can detect river contamination by quantifying growth responses. The method can be expanded to encompass food chain impacts of contaminants at various sites at various times, and to identify places needing more intensive analyses and quantifications.

Recommended Citation

Parks, Margaret Dianne, "The use of Lemna minor L. (Lemnaceae) as assessor of water quality in the Big South Fork River, Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee-Kentucky. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1993.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/11982