Brackish Eutrophic Water Treatment by Iris pseudacorus L.-Planted Microcosms: Physiological Responses of Iris pseudacorus L. to Salinity

Iris pseudacorus L. has been widely used in aquatic ecosystem to remove nutrient and has achieved positive effects. However, little is known regarding the nutrient-removal performance and physiological responses of I. pseudacorus for brackish eutrophic water treatment due to high nutrients combined with certain salinity levels. In this study, I. pseudacorus-planted microcosms were established to evaluate the capacity of I. pseudacorus to remove excessive nutrients from fresh (salinity 0.05%) and brackish (salinity 0.5%) eutrophic waters. The degradation of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen were not affected by 0.5% salinity; 0.5% salinity promoted the degradation of nitrate nitrogen while severely inhibited the degradation of total phosphorus. Additionally, 0.5% salinity was found to induce stress responses quantified by measuring six physiological indexes. Compared to 0.05% salinity, 0.5% salinity resulted in significant decreases in the chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll contents of I. pseudacorus which closely related to photosynthesis (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the higher proline, malondialdehyde contents and antioxidant enzyme activities were detected in I. pseudacorus exposed to 0.5% salinity, which provided protection against reactive oxygen species. The results highlight that the cellular stress assays are efficient for monitoring the health of I. pseudacorus in salinity shock-associated constructed wetlands.