Accumulation of Potentially Toxic Trace Elements (PTEs) by Native Plant Species Growing in a Typical Gold Mining Area Located in the Northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract Though gold mines provide significant economic benefits to local governments, mining causes soil pollution by potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) in mining areas, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Screening of native plant species from mining areas is now an effective, inexpensive, and eco-friendly method for the remediation of PTEs in situ. In the present study, we conducted experiments to assess the accumulation of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in 12 native plant species growing on a typical gold mining area in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our results showed that rhizosphere soils have high soil organic matter content, high levels of As, and moderate levels of Cd. G. pylzowianum accumulated relatively higher As in its shoots and exhibited TF higher than 1 for As (4.65), Cd (1.87), and Pb (1.36). P. saundersiana had BCF-S higher than 1 for Cd (4.52) and Pb (1.70), whereas its TF was higher than 1 for As, Cd, Pb, and Zn. These plant species also exhibit strong tolerance to these PTEs. Furthermore, E. nutans accumulated low levels of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn in their shoots and exhibited TF values lower than 1 for the four PTEs. Therefore, G. pylzowianum could be used for the in situ phytoextraction of As, and P. saundersiana can be used as an effective plant for Cd and Pb phytoextraction. E. nutans is better suited for the phytostabilisation of multiple PTEs. Our study is of significant importance for introducing native plant species to remediate PTE-contaminated soils, particularly As and Cd, and has a good potential for developing PTE phytoremediation strategies at mining sites.

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Accumulation of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) by native plant species growing in a typical gold mining area located in the northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-021-16076-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lei Wang ◽

Xiaorong Xie ◽

Qifeng Li ◽

Zhifeng Yu ◽

Guangde Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Plant Species ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Mining Area ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Native Plant ◽

Toxic Trace Elements ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Potentially Toxic Trace Elements ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

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Toxic metal tolerance in native plant species grown in a vanadium mining area

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-017-0250-5 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (34) ◽

pp. 26839-26850 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Aikelaimu Aihemaiti ◽

Jianguo Jiang ◽

De’an Li ◽

Tianran Li ◽

Wenjie Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Metal Tolerance ◽

Toxic Metal ◽

Mining Area ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species

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Biochemical properties of highly mineralised and infertile soil modified by acacia and spinifex plants in northwest Queensland, Australia

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr15069 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 265 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Fang You ◽

Ram C. Dalal ◽

Longbin Huang

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Plant Species ◽

Plant Communities ◽

Basal Respiration ◽

Growth Media ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Root Zones ◽

Available Nutrients

Root zone soil properties can significantly influence the establishment of revegetated plant communities and alter their development trajectories in mined landscapes, due to closely coupled biogeochemical linkages between soil and plant systems. The present study aimed to characterise physicochemical and biochemical conditions in soil colonised by slow-growing native plant species: Acacia chisholmii (C3, native leguminous shrub) and Triodia pungens (spinifex C4 grass) in Mt Isa, North-west Queensland, Australia. This is to provide the basis for engineering growth media and root zones suitable for supporting target native plant communities to be revegetated in mined landscapes under subtropical and semiarid climatic conditions. Litter chemistry, soil physicochemical properties, and microbial community structure based on phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) biomarker method and activities (basal respiration, net mineralisation, dehydrogenase, invertase, urease and neutral phosphatase activities) were characterised in the surface soils beneath the keystone native plant species. Results showed that soils sampled were generally infertile with low levels of total organic carbon (TOC), available nutrients and slow cycling processes with bacteria dominant microbial communities supporting the native plant species. Surface soils underneath acacia and spinifex were modified by in situ litter return, in terms of TOC, and structure and functions of microbial communities. The levels of soil microbial biomass C and N, basal respiration rate and net mineralisation rate in the acacia soil were twice as much as those in the spinifex. Microbial communities in the acacia soil had a greater fungal:bacterial ratio than in the spinifex. On this basis, growth media and root zones for revegetating native acacia-spinifex communities at local mined landscapes may be engineered by using plant organic matter remediation to supply available nutrients and to rehabilitate suitable microbial communities for in situ litter decomposition and nutrient cycling.

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