The Physiological and Developmental Effects of Oil Sands Tailings Pond Naphthenic Acids on Plants and Investigation into their Detoxification Using the Model Species Arabidopsis thaliana
Abstract
Oil sands process-affected water contains a vast array of organic and inorganic compounds that include a broad group of toxic organic acids called naphthenic acids (NAs). Many types of NAs are difficult to degrade through industrial or biological methods, and they have the potential to contaminate nearby water systems. This thesis was aimed at studying the physiological and developmental effects of NAs on plants and investigating the potential of NA degradation in plants by increasing flux through the β-oxidation pathway. A number of root phenotypes were identified in NA treated Arabidopsis seedlings demonstrating the effects of NA treatment on root architecture. Genes involved in β-oxidation were overexpressed in Arabidopsis in an attempt to increase the degradation of NAs through this pathway. This research enhances our understanding of NAs effects on plant growth and development, and provides further insight into the use of plants as NA biosensors and remediating agents.
Description
Keywords
Biology--Molecular, Plant Physiology, Toxicology
Citation
Olsen, S. C. (2015). The Physiological and Developmental Effects of Oil Sands Tailings Pond Naphthenic Acids on Plants and Investigation into their Detoxification Using the Model Species Arabidopsis thaliana (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28274