Nonstomatal versus Stomatal Uptake of Atmospheric Mercury

Abstract

Atmospheric constituents may be deposited to and incorporated into plant leaves, with gases entering via stomata, and gas and particles being sorbed at the surface and in some cases traversing the cuticle, possibly reaching the epidermis. Plants are known to be a sink for atmospheric mercury (Hg), and the current paradigm is that uptake of gaseous elemental Hg occurs by way of the stomata. Four plant species, Rudbeckia hirta, Sorghastrum nutans, Andropogon gerardii, and Populus tremuloides, were exposed to air from different sources and with different Hg and CO2 concentrations in light and dark within a gas exchange chamber at approximately 25% relative humidity. Data showed that Hg concentration and air source had a significant effect (p < 0.001) on leaf-atmosphere Hg flux, with more deposition to the leaf occurring in elevated-Hg air, and in scrubbed air compared to ambient air. Deposition also occurred during dark and elevated CO2 exposures, when stomatal conductance was reduced. These observations and the fact that limited or no Hg emission occurred after deposition of atmospheric Hg suggests that the nonstomatal pathway may be an important route of foliar accumulation of atmospheric Hg.