Abstract: Zinc is a major anthropogenic contaminant in estuarine ecosystem, and has potential ecotoxicological consequences for aquatic animals and plants. An artificial mangrove wetland was set up in greenhouse to study the distribution and migration of zinc in synthetic wastewater in Avicennia marina plant-soil system. Different concentration synthetic wastewater and 1.5% salinity artificial seawater (control) were discharged into the system in fixed quantity twice a week for a year. The results showed that most part (>67%) of zinc in the artificial wastewater discharged into the system was remained in the soil, and only a small portion (1.24%-10.4%) of it was entered into plant and litter,indicating that this artificial plant-soil system had a stronger purifying effect on the zinc in synthetic wastewater. The calculation with matter balance model indicated that soil subsystem had a higher environmental capacity of bearing zinc.

Key words: stable isotope, ecosystem, pre-existing organic carbon, development stage, FACE