Arsenic Uptake by Two Hyperaccumulator Ferns from Four Arsenic Contaminated Soils

Abstract

A greenhouse study was conducted to evaluate and compare arsenic accumulation from four arsenic contaminated soils by two arsenic hyperaccumulators, Pteris vittata and Pteris cretica. After growing in soils for six weeks, the plants were harvested and separated into above-and belowground biomass. Total As, P, Ca, K, glutathione and biomass were measured for the plants, and total As, Mehlich-3 P and As, exchangeable K and Ca, and arsenic fractionation were performed for the soils. Pteris vittata had significantly higher total biomass (14 g/plant) and As accumulation than P. cretica. Arsenic accumulation in both ferns followed the arsenic concentrations in the soil. The P/As molar ratio in the fronds, growing in arsenic contaminated soils, ranged from 80 to 939 in P. vittata and 130 to 421 in P. cretica. Plant arsenic concentrations were significantly positively correlated with Mehlich-3 arsenic in the soils. Soil pH was also significantly correlated with Mehlich-3 arsenic before and after plant uptake. Plant As uptake was significantly correlated with exchangeable potassium in the soil before plant uptake. Glutathione availability was not implicated as a major detoxification mechanism in these ferns. Though both plants were effective in taking up arsenic from various arsenic contaminated soils, P. vittata was overall a better candidate for phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated soils.

Metal (Loid)s in Farmland Soils and Strategies to Reduce Bioavailability

“…About 500 plant species have been reported to accumulate HMs [154]. One of them, the arsenic hyper accumulator, Pteris vittata, has been used to reduce contaminant levels in arsenic contaminated soils [155][156][157]. The fern can also be used in multi-metal contaminated soils because it is tolerant to a wide variety of metals such as Pb, Cd, Zn, Se, Si, Sb, B and Hg [158][159][160][161].…”

Phytoremediation for co-contaminated soils of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and heavy metals using ornamental plant Tagetes patula

“…The BFs of Cu and Pb were 0.15-0.05 and 0.05-0.03, respectively, and the TFs were 0.20-0.13 for Cu and 0.16-0.13 for Pb, all of them were lower than 1.0, indicating that low efficiency in absorption and transferring Cu and Pb by the plant. The dominating amounts of HMs accumulated in the aerial parts of plants were favorable to shift out metals from soils by harvesting aboveground parts and appropriate treatments and to reach the aim of ecological remediation of contaminated soils [2,18,50]. The total amount of Cd accumulation by T. patula was in the sequence shoot > leaf > stem > root, and 86.3-90.6% of Cd uptake by the plants was concentrated in shoots.…”

The environmental impact of gold mines: pollution by heavy metals

“…Lead is another metal of great concern as it can cause brain, liver and kidney damage in children and nerve damage in adults, while long term exposure to cadmium can cause kidney failure, liver, bone and blood damage [5]. Heavy metals cause oxidative stress in plants [22][23][24][25]. Metal stress was reported to affect photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence and stomatal resistance [26].…”