Experimental Ecological Genetics in Plantago II. Lead Tolerance in Plantago Lanceolata and Cynodon Dactylon from a Roadside

Abstract

A population of Plantago lanceolata (ribwort plantain) from a roadside was found to have higher Pb tolerance than populations away from the roadside; this reflected the sharp differences in Pb content of the soil and the plants at these sites. Tolerance tests on seedlings showed that the Pb tolerance was transmitted to seed progeny. Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) showed generally a higher Pb tolerance than P. lanceo!ata, but there was no evidence of a greater Pb tolerance of the roadside population when compared with populations from control sites. These results suggest that the Pb level found at the roadside was sufficiently high to impose selection pressure for the evolution of tolerance in a sensitive species, but no overt effect was seen in a species with a greater inherent tolerance. This provides another example of rapid and highly localized evolutionary change in plants.

Induction of cadmium tolerance by acclimation transferred between ramets of the clonal fern Salvinia minima Baker

“…Populus tremiiloides; Caza, 1983), or growing on the edges of leadcontaminated roadways (e.g. Cynodon dactylon; 'Wu & Antonovics, 1976), would be ideal study organisms on wbicb to test tbese theories. …”

The Genecology of Lawn Weeds

“…Zinc tolerant variants discovered by Schwanitz and Hahn (1954). Lead tolerant plants described from Welsh lead mine sites (Hickey and McNeilly, 1975) and from a roadside in North Carolina (Wu and Antonovics, 1976). Turesson (1925) described coastal and inland ecotypes.…”

The effect of zinc contamination from electricity pylons. Contrasting patterns of evolution in five grass species

“…Thus, they present widespread and recent opportunities for the evolution of zinc tolerant populations in the contaminated area beneath them. In addition, they may provide situations in which selection pressures are likely to be less powerful than those of mine sites and smelters (Baker, 1987), but .similar to those operating on roadside verges (Wu & Antonovics, 1976;Atkins et al, 1982) and on zinc contaminated soil under a zinc galvanized fence (Snaydon, in Bradshaw, McNeilly & Gregory, 1965).…”