PLANTS AS BIOINDICATORS OF NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENICALLY DERIVED CONTAMINATION

Plants occupy an important position in the ecosystem, being directly i n contact with underlying soil, and providing food for animals, includ ing humans, at higher trophic levels. Their use as indicators in studi es of both natural and anthropogenically derived contamination is dive rse. The visual appearance of plants, in combination with the presence of particular key species or assemblages, may provide clues to the oc currence of contaminants in the underlying strata. Chemical analysis o f plant material, either collected from the field or from laboratory-b ased plant growth trials, can also provide a measure of the environmen tal mobility of a contaminant. This article discusses the role of plan ts as bioindicators with reference to examples of preliminary contamin ated land assessment; air pollution monitoring, and studies into the e nvironmental significance of contaminants in domestic and codisposed r efuse.