Intraspecific Variability of Metal Tolerance in Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l. Seed Progeny: Analysis Based on Dose–Response Relationship

Abstract

Based on the analysis of dose–response relationships under exposure to a wide range of copper sulfate concentrations, the metal tolerance of seed progeny was assessed using the root elongation test in two morphological forms of Taraxacum officinale Wigg. s.l. growing in background and technogenically transformed areas (industrial waste dumps). Since previous studies in the same areas showed that these forms differed in their abundance and ratio in the coenopopulations and in the level of copper accumulation, it was assumed that they would also differ in the metal tolerance of seed progeny. It was found that the average values of effective copper sulfate concentrations inhibiting root growth in seedlings by 10, 50, and 90%, did not differ between the study areas and between the morphological forms of dandelion.