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The Effect Of Metal Composition And Particle Size On Nanostructure-Toxicity In Plants, Natalie Lynn Smith

MSU Graduate Theses

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have consistently been shown to have a detrimental effect on bacteria, fungi, and plants. The interaction of AgNPs with plants has received considerable scientific attention, because it is potentially through plants that these structures can enter the food chain and bioaccumulate in humans and animals. To determine the effects of AgNPs on plants, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were chronically exposed to sublethal levels of AgNPs using a standardized method. To gain insight on mechanism of phytotoxicity, the seedlings were exposed to low concentrations of Ag⁺ (in the form of silver nitrate), AgNPs, or gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). To …