Manganese Accumulation and Tissue-level Distribution in the Australian Hyperaccumulator Gossia Bidwillii (Myrtaceae)

Farida Abubakari,Philip Nti Nkrumah,Guillaume Echevarria,Peter D Erskine,Antony Van Der Ent,Denise R Fernando

doi:10.1007/s12042-021-09307-1

Abstract

The manganese (Mn) hyperaccumulator Gossia bidwillii is a tree species native to subtropical eastern Australia where it occurs on Mn-rich soils. Here, we conducted the first Mn accumulation and tissue-level distribution study on wild and experimentally grown G. bidwillii. Gossia bidwillii plants were subjected to different levels of Mn (250 µg g−1, 500 µg g−1, 1000 µg g−1) soil dosing treatments, whereas the wild G. bidwillii was sampled from growing on highly Mn-enriched natural soils. We used laboratory-based micro-X-ray Fluorescence (µXRF) elemental mapping to elucidate in situ distribution patterns of Mn and other elements in hydrated wild and Mn-dosed G. bidwillii leaves. The data from wild G. bidwillii revealed that it can be strongly Mn-hyperaccumulating with foliar Mn concentrations of 39 000 µg g−1 and 24 000 µg g−1 in old and young leaves, respectively. In the Mn dosing trial, G. bidwillii accumulated 24 400 µg g−1 in old leaves and 17 100 µg g−1 in young leaves in the highest treatment level. The laboratory based µXRF data revealed that Mn is uniformly enriched throughout the laminae and petioles of both young and old leaves in wild G. bidwillii; while in Mn-dosed G. bidwillii, the foliar Mn distribution was primarily concentrated at the leaf-tip and lamina. The approach employed by combining data from the field and controlled experiments was especially meaningful for investigating Mn accumulation in this species and gaining added insight into the phenomenon of Mn hyperaccumulation.

Highlights

Hyperaccumulators are highly unusual plants that are able to concentrate extremely high concentrations of specific trace elements in their foliage and other aerial parts (Baker and Brooks 1989; Reeves 2003; van der Ent et al 2013)
By employing laboratory μXRF analysis to determine in situ distributions of Mn and other elements in wild G. bidwillii and Mn-dosed G. bidwillii, this study investigates leaf tissue Mn distribution patterns, as well as within-species age-related distributional differences, i.e., between their young and old leaves
The concentrations of Ca and Na in wild G. bidwillii were higher in old leaves (9250 ± 785 μg g−1 Ca, 710 ± 70.0 μg g−1 Na) than in young leaves (5590 ± 145 μg g−1 Ca, 660 ± 190 μg g−1 Na) and twigs (4700 ± 400 μg g−1 Ca, 170 ± 35.0 μg g−1 Na) (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Hyperaccumulators are highly unusual plants that are able to concentrate extremely high concentrations of specific trace elements in their foliage and other aerial parts (Baker and Brooks 1989; Reeves 2003; van der Ent et al 2013). Gossia bidwillii (Myrtaceae) has a smooth bark which is irregularly covered with relatively large, coloured patches. This species, as well as G. acmenoides, G. lucida and G. grayi, are called “python bark Gossias” due to the resemblance of their bark to the skin colouring of the python snake (Snow et al 2003).

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