Subcellular localization of 241Am in structural components of submerged macrophyte of the River Yenisei Elodea canadensis

Abstract

We studied the microdistribution of the artificial radionuclide 241Am in the components of <em>Elodea canadensis</em> - a submerged macrophyte of the Yenisei River. The alpha-track analysis showed that the microdistribution of 241Am within different components of the submerged plant <em>E</em>. <em>canadensis</em> was not uniform. 241Am distribution was found to be affected by the age of the leaf blades, state of the cells, and morphological features of the plant stem. The radionuclide 241Am penetrated into the plant cells through the cell wall of <em>E. canadensis</em>, but it was accumulated in the vacuoles rather than in the cell wall or cytoplasm. In this case, the integrity of the cell membranes was not damaged.