ABSTRACT
Oxygen (O2) diffusion to root tips is one of the physiological characteristics that permit wetland species to exist in flooded conditions. This chapter aims to develop a method to test for the presence of O2 diffusion from plants, roots, to determine species differences in O2 loss to sediments and to recommend plant species to use in constructed wetlands to maximize O2 concentrations in the root zone. Plants were obtained from a constructed wetland, TVA’s Impoundment One, which receives effluent from a slurry pond. Cattail (Typha latifolia), burreed (Sparganium americanum), spikerush (Eleocharis quadrangulata), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), and rush (Juncus effusus), perennial emergent wetland plants, were selected because they were well estab lished, healthy, and reproducing. The role of dissolved oxygen in wetlands used for treating mining-related effluent is important in improving water quality. The chapter points toward the continued research into constructed wetlands and their potential contribution in the remediation of contaminated water.
