Abstract
Different plant species were investigated from two Aeolian Islands located in close vicinity, one with fumarolic activity (Vulcano) and one without (Lipari). On Vulcano, elevated concentrations of SO2/H2S determined in ambient air indicated the need of plants to adapt to harmful sulphur concentrations by detoxification strategies. The current study was focused on evaluating the element composition of plant leaves in relation to soil mineral contents. The soil of Volcano was characterised by a significantly lower pH on all three sampling sites as well as very high amounts of sulphur and plant available sulphate due to volcanic activities, compared to Lipari. By contrast, a general difference in the composition of trace elements in the soil was not observed between the islands, apart from arsenic, which was increased at all three sampling sites on Vulcano. Element accumulation in the leaves differed between the two islands. The tested species showed a significant higher accumulation of numerous elements (Al, B, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn) on Vulcano compared to Lipari, while excluding Ca and Mo. These differences in element accumulation in the leaves between the islands may be caused by the lower soil pH on Vulcano. Extreme sulphur accumulation was found for all tested species on Vulcano, but was lower in woody species with higher dry matter content compared to herbaceous species with lower dry matter content. This caused a significantly negative correlation between plant sulphur and dry matter content. From these results, it is concluded that species with higher dry matter contents possess a more effective protection against extreme sulphur accumulation. Strategies to cope with other potentially toxic elements in the soil ranged from exclusion to hyper-accumulation. Hierarchical cluster analyses of the leaf element content revealed a clear separation between two groups: First, herbaceous perennial plants as strong accumulators; and second, woody perennial plants such as shrubs or trees as less strong accumulators, with the primordial species Fumaria capreolata representing an outside group.
Highlights
Plants growing in vicinity of active volcanoes are forced to cope with extreme abiotic stress caused by fumarolic gases that can affect plant growth and development
To evaluate the effect of long-term volcanic activity on element composition of different plant species, leaf samples were collected on two Aeolian Islands: one set from Vulcano, which is characterized by fumarolic activity, and one set from the neighbouring island Lipari as a control, where no volcanic activity has been recorded recently
When visiting the islands Vulcano and Lipari situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily (Italy) the difference in volcanic activity is obvious
Summary
Plants growing in vicinity of active volcanoes are forced to cope with extreme abiotic stress caused by fumarolic gases that can affect plant growth and development. To evaluate the effect of long-term volcanic activity on element composition of different plant species, leaf samples were collected on two Aeolian Islands: one set from Vulcano, which is characterized by fumarolic activity, and one set from the neighbouring island Lipari as a control, where no volcanic activity has been recorded recently. This set of leaf samples provided the possibility to investigate mechanisms of stress adaptation to an environment affected by active volcanism. We addressed the following questions: (1) Does the strong volcanic activity on Vulcano result in specific soil element composition? (2) Are there differences in plant mineral content in the leaves of the collected species due to the volcanic activity? (3) Do the tested species show additional adaptation mechanisms to potentially toxic elements in the soil besides sulphite detoxification strategies? (4) Is it possible to identify different strategies to cope with stress in the volcanic environment based on element composition?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
