ABSTRACT
Piotr Rozpądek, Agnieszka Domka, and Katarzyna Turnau
29.1 INTRODUCTION
Ecosystems are complex networks of organisms inhabiting specic abiotic environments bound together in multiple and multidimensional relationships constantly adjusting to each other and to the ever-changing environment (Levin 1998). Organisms interact in various associations, varying from relatively loose, trophic relations to obligatory symbiosis. In established ecosystems, the ability to adapt to environmental challenges is limited. Stress overwhelming a particular constituent’s ability to adjust often results in a “domino effect” and severe damage can be imposed upon the entire system. The deposition of large quantities of potentially toxic metals (TMs) has resulted in severe changes in many ecosystems worldwide, and locally, leading to irreversible damage.
