Abstract
Pontechium maculatum, a facultative metallophyte, was collected from four ultramafic localities in Serbia and analysed in terms of micro- and macroelement accumulation. The aim of the study was to reveal trace element profiles and differences in uptake and translocation of heavy metals in populations growing under heavy metal stress. The concentrations of major and trace elements in soil samples (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, Co, Cd) and in plant tissues (Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, Co, Cd) are presented. The results of our analysis indicate that P. maculatum efficiently absorbs Zn and Cr, while for most of the other elements accumulation levels fit in the range of values obtained for several other species from ultramafic localities on the Balkan Peninsula.
Highlights
Ultramafic bedrock and soils derived from them are known as inhospitable environments due to specific, often extreme physical and chemical characteristics
The results of our analysis indicate that P. maculatum efficiently absorbs Zn and Cr, while for most of the other elements accumulation levels fit in the range of values obtained for several other species from ultramafic localities on the Balkan Peninsula
The trace element profile of P. maculatum, with some variations, fits in the range of values obtained for several other species from ultramafic substrates of the Balkan Peninsula
Summary
Ultramafic bedrock and soils derived from them are known as inhospitable environments due to specific, often extreme physical and chemical characteristics These soils are characterised byan unfavourable Ca/Mg ratio, nutrient limitation and high amounts of Fe, Ni, Cr and Co. These soils are characterised byan unfavourable Ca/Mg ratio, nutrient limitation and high amounts of Fe, Ni, Cr and Co In addition to these edaphic stressors, plants growing on ultramafic soils are exposed to drought, high temperature and intensive light (Freitas et al 2004; Brady et al 2005). Due to the high energy cost of mechanisms related to survival on demanding substrates such as ultramafic ones, these species can be competitively weak on non-ultramafic bedrock and are found on ultramafic substrates more often than on other types of substrate (Wójcik et al 2017) Both obligate and facultative serpentinophytes can respond in different ways to high heavy metal levels, either by excluding or by accumulating (hyperaccumulating) elevated metal concentrations. Two basic tolerance strategies can be distinguished: metal exclusion
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