Vegetative uptake of heavy metals in plants growing in contaminated areas has received attention since the 1960's for a variety of reasons. The accumulation of heavy metals by agricultural crops is a public health concern. Vegetative sampling has been used to biomonitor soil levels of heavy metals from natural and anthropogenic sources (Rasmussen 1994). Studies of uptake of heavy metals by plants from mining areas has led to some understanding of heavy metal tolerance in plants and mechanisms; by which tolerance occurs (Antonovics et al. 1971, andBaker and Brook 1989).Mercury loss associated with the amalgamation process of gold recovery from stampmill mining in Idaho has produced occasional high levels of mercury contamination. Mercury and arsenic as high as 200 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively were measured in an abandoned stampmill site near Atlanta, ID (elevation 5,500 ft, montane zone).This study is a survey of root, stem, and leaf accumulations of Hg in several shrubs and grasses growing at the abandoned stampmill site near Atlanta. An attempt was made to correlate plant uptake with Hg levels in the soil. Also the question was examined, "do different plants show distinctive differences of uptake levels and patterns of Hg distribution?" MATERIALS AND METHODSThe study site was bordered on the north and west sides by the Middle Fork of the Boise River. A road formed the east border. The south end of the study site was covered with thick brush and a steep rise just beyond a small creek that ran into the Middle Fork. A grid was formed by running north-south transect lines the length of the area and east-west transect lines the width of the area. This formed 1.55 quadrates, measuring about 13.1 meters on a side. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 15-20 cm below the surface from the approximate center of each quadrate. If a quadrate had high levels of Hg (>5 ppm) additional samples were obtained from that quadrate. All soil samples were stored
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.