E-catalog        

Библиогр.: с. 135595 (10-12)

In Southern Europe, soil contamination by heavy metals (HM) due to mining and industrial activities is a longknown
problem. Yet, despite soils being widely contaminated through decades, some plants are still able to
grow. Some of these plants, like giant reed (Arundo donax) or common reed (Phragmites australis) are capable
of accumulating substantial amount of HM. These reeds also contain small silica structures in their shoots, called
phytoliths. However, the role of phytoliths in reducing stress caused by these HM remains unknown. The aim of
this work is then to determine if phytoliths represent a preferential structure for the bioacccumulation of HM in
plants. Therefore, plants from mining-contaminated sites in Spain and France were sampled and HM concentrations
in total plant shoots were compared to those in phytoliths for eight metal(oid)s: As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Sb, Sn
and Zn. Results show that Arundo donax and Phragmites australis tend to accumulate Cd, Sb and Sn but limit the
uptake of As, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in plant shoots despite that the concentration of these HM in soil is quite high.
Therefore, reeds appear as tolerant to high metal concentrations in soils, and phytoliths are identified as preferential
structures for encapsulation of As, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn, while Cd, Sb and Sn were mainly found to be accumulated
in organic tissues rather than in phytoliths.