A comprehensive understanding of the uptake, tolerance and transport of heavy metals in the wetland
system through aquatic plants will be essential for the development of phytoremediation technologies.
Copper accumulation and translocation of a submersed macrophyte Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle were
investigated. Plant shoots showed a significant accumulation of Cu with a maximum of 30 830 mg
Cu kg1 dry weight after exposed to 4000 lg L1 Cu for 4 d. Both roots and shoots can directly take up
Cu from solution and Cu mainly accumulated in cell wall fractions. Moreover, H. verticillata predominantly
accumulated Cu through shoots from the aqueous solutions because of the higher weights and
bioaccumulation factors of shoots than those of roots. Acropetal translocation of Cu in the plant is higher
than the basipetal translocation, which implies that upward translocation of Cu is mainly via the xylem
and downward translocation is mainly through the phloem. These findings contribute to the application
of submerged aquatic plants to copper removal from moderately contaminated waters.