Impacts of bisphenol A on growth and reproductive traits of submerged macrophyte Vallisneria natans

Abstract

Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered a contaminant of emerging concern and interferes with the normal activities of living organisms. The toxicity of BPA is evident in animals, while there have been relatively few studies focused on the effects of this chemical on plants especially how submerged macrophytes respond to low BPA concentrations is still unclear. In the present study, effects of low BPA loading (targeting at 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/L) on the growth and reproductive traits of the dioecious annual submerged macrophyte Vallisneria natans were assessed through a five-month experiments. The results showed that BPA inhibited the elongation of V. natans leaves but resulted in an increase in leaf number and ramet number under the highest BPA loading treatment (targeting at 1 mg/L). At the highest BPA loading treatment, female individuals of V. natans allocated less mass for ramet than male ones, showing a clear sexual dimorphism. No significant differences in reproductive traits and total biomass of the V. natans were found between different BPA loading treatments and the control, indicating that BPA did not induce direct toxic effects on the growth and reproductive traits of V. natans. In summary, V. natans tolerated low BPA concentrations by trade-offs between ramet (leaf) number and leaf elongation and maintained a stable reproduction output probably based on sexual dimorphism.