scholarly journals Macrophyte Potential to Treat Leachate Contaminated with Wood Preservatives: Plant Tolerance and Bioaccumulation Capacity

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1774
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Demers ◽  
Margit Kõiv-Vainik ◽  
Sara Yavari ◽  
Michel Mench ◽  
Lilian Marchand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Wood Preservatives ◽  
Chlorinated Phenols ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Treatment Wetland ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Contamination Concentration ◽  
Copper Arsenate

Pentachlorophenol and chromated copper arsenate (CCA) have been used worldwide as wood preservatives, but these compounds can toxify ecosystems when they leach into the soil and water. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of four treatment wetland macrophytes, Phalaris arundinacea, Typha angustifolia, and two subspecies of Phragmites australis, to tolerate and treat leachates containing wood preservatives. The experiment was conducted using 96 plant pots in 12 tanks filled with three leachate concentrations compared to uncontaminated water. Biomass production and bioaccumulation were measured after 35 and 70 days of exposure. There were no significant effects of leachate contamination concentration on plant biomass for any species. No contaminants were detected in aboveground parts of the macrophytes, precluding their use for phytoextraction within the tested contamination levels. However, all species accumulated As and chlorinated phenols in belowground parts, and this accumulation was more prevalent under a more concentrated leachate. Up to 0.5 mg pentachlorophenol/kg (from 81 µg/L in the leachate) and 50 mg As/kg (from 330 µg/L in the leachate) were accumulated in the belowground biomass. Given their high productivity and tolerance to the contaminants, the tested macrophytes showed phytostabilization potential and could enhance the degradation of phenols from leachates contaminated with wood preservatives in treatment wetlands.

scholarly journals The switchgrass microbiome: A review of structure, function, and taxonomic distribution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Hestrin ◽  
Marissa Ruth Lee ◽  
Briana K. Whitaker ◽  
Jennifer Pett-Ridge
Keyword(s):  
Structure Function ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Panicum Virgatum ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Scale Validation ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Host Genotype ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Experimental Findings

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been championed as a promising bioenergy crop due to its high productivity across a wide environmental range. The switchgrass microbiome—including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and other microbiota inhabiting soil and plant tissues—can influence plant function substantially. We conducted a review of the literature investigating switchgrass microbiome structure, key functional roles, and taxa isolated from field-grown plants. While site conditions and plant compartment (i.e., location within shoots, roots, or root-influenced soil) appear to be the strongest drivers of switchgrass microbiome structure, the microbiome is also shaped by climate, season, and host genotype. Studies comparing across plant species show that the switchgrass microbiome is more similar to the microbiomes of other perennial plants than to the microbiomes of annual plants. Members of the switchgrass microbiome confer several benefits to plants. Most notably, mycorrhizal fungi can increase plant biomass many-fold, associative N-fixing bacteria can provide a substantial portion of the plant’s nitrogen demand, and fungal endophytes can improve plant tolerance to drought. Although the fungi and bacteria cultured from switchgrass represent only a portion of the microbiome, these serve as a valuable resource for researchers interested in investigating functional outcomes of the switchgrass microbiome. We highlight areas where additional research is necessary for a more comprehensive understanding of switchgrass microbiome structure, function, and potential to enhance sustainable bioenergy production. Key gaps include the role of understudied organisms (e.g., viruses, microeukaryotes, and non-mycorrhizal fungi), multitrophic relationships, mechanisms underpinning switchgrass-microbiome interactions, and field-scale validation of experimental findings.

scholarly journals Cultivar-Dependent Responses in Plant Growth, Leaf Physiology, Phosphorus Use Efficiency, and Tuber Quality of Potatoes Under Limited Phosphorus Availability Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leangsrun Chea ◽  
Ana Meijide ◽  
Catharina Meinen ◽  
Elke Pawelzik ◽  
Marcel Naumann
Keyword(s):  
Tuber Yield ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
P Uptake ◽  
Tuber Quality ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Leaf Physiology ◽  
Use Efficiency

The limited availability of phosphorus (P) in soils causes a major constraint in the productivity of potatoes, which requires increased knowledge of plant adaptation responses in this condition. In this study, six potato cultivars, namely, Agria, Lady Claire, Milva, Lilly, Sieglinde, and Verdi, were assessed for their responses on plant growth, leaf physiology, P use efficiency (PUE), and tuber quality with three P levels (Plow, Pmed, and Phigh). The results reveal a significant variation in the cultivars in response to different P availabilities. P-efficient cultivars, Agria, Milva, and Lilly, possessed substantial plant biomass, tuber yield, and high P uptake efficiency (PUpE) under low P supply conditions. The P-inefficient cultivars, Lady Claire, Sieglinde, and Verdi, could not produce tubers under P deprivation conditions, as well as the ability to efficiently uptake P under low-level conditions, but they were efficient in P uptake under high soil P conditions. Improved PUpE is important for plant tolerance with limited P availability, which results in the efficient use of the applied P. At the leaf level, increased accumulations of nitrate, sulfate, sucrose, and proline are necessary for a plant to acclimate to P deficiency-induced stress and to mobilize leaf inorganic phosphate to increase internal PUE and photosynthesis. The reduction in plant biomass and tuber yield under P-deficient conditions could be caused by reduced CO2 assimilation. Furthermore, P deficiency significantly reduced tuber yield, dry matter, and starch concentration in Agria, Milva, and Lilly. However, contents of tuber protein, sugars, and minerals, as well as antioxidant capacity, were enhanced under these conditions in these cultivars. These results highlight the important traits contributing to potato plant tolerance under P-deficient conditions and indicate an opportunity to improve the P efficiency and tuber quality of potatoes under deficient conditions using more efficient cultivars. Future research to evaluate molecular mechanisms related to P and sucrose translocation, and minimize tuber yield reduction under limited P availability conditions is necessary.

scholarly journals Application of Nano-Silicon Dioxide Improves Salt Stress Tolerance in Strawberry Plants

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saber Avestan ◽  
Mahmood Ghasemnezhad ◽  
Masoud Esfahani ◽  
Caitlin S. Byrt
Keyword(s):  
Salt Stress ◽  
Silicon Dioxide ◽  
Chlorophyll Content ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Epicuticular Wax ◽  
Carotenoid Content ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Sem Images ◽  
Nano Silicon ◽  
Epicuticular Wax Layer

Silicon application can improve productivity outcomes for salt stressed plants. Here, we describe how strawberry plants respond to treatments including various combinations of salt stress and nano-silicon dioxide, and assess whether nano-silicon dioxide improves strawberry plant tolerance to salt stress. Strawberry plants were treated with salt (0, 25 or 50 mM NaCl), and the nano-silicon dioxide treatments were applied to the strawberry plants before (0, 50 and 100 mg L−1) or after (0 and 50 mg L−1) flowering. The salt stress treatments reduced plant biomass, chlorophyll content, and leaf relative water content (RWC) as expected. Relative to control (no NaCl) plants the salt treated plants had 10% lower membrane stability index (MSI), 81% greater proline content, and 54% greater cuticular transpiration; as well as increased canopy temperature and changes in the structure of the epicuticular wax layer. The plants treated with nano-silicon dioxide were better able to maintain epicuticular wax structure, chlorophyll content, and carotenoid content and accumulated less proline relative to plants treated only with salt and no nano-silicon dioxide. Analysis of scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images revealed that the salt treatments resulted in changes in epicuticular wax type and thickness, and that the application of nano-silicon dioxide suppressed the adverse effects of salinity on the epicuticular wax layer. Nano-silicon dioxide treated salt stressed plants had increased irregular (smoother) crystal wax deposits in their epicuticular layer. Together these observations indicate that application of nano-silicon dioxide can limit the adverse anatomical and biochemical changes related to salt stress impacts on strawberry plants and that this is, in part, associated with epicuticular wax deposition.

scholarly journals Low assimilate partitioning to root biomass is associated with carbon losses at an intensively managed temperate grassland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Poyda ◽  
Thorsten Reinsch ◽  
Inger J. Struck ◽  
R. Howard Skinner ◽  
Christof Kluß ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
C Sequestration ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Grass Root ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Intensively Managed ◽  
Carbon Losses ◽  
Grassland Site

Abstract Aims This study aimed to investigate how efficiently assimilated carbon (C) is incorporated in plant biomass at an intensively managed old permanent grassland, how C is partitioned between shoots and roots and what are the implications for C sequestration. Methods Using the eddy covariance technique, the atmosphere-biosphere exchange of CO2 was measured for two years at a sandy grassland site in northern Germany. In addition to aboveground net primary production (ANPP), belowground NPP (BNPP) was observed using the ingrowth core method. Results The grassland showed a high productivity in terms of biomass yield (14.8 Mg dry matter ha−1 yr−1) and net CO2 uptake (−2.82 Mg CO2-C ha−1 yr−1). Photosynthetically assimilated C was converted to biomass with a high carbon use efficiency (CUE) of 71% during the growing season. However, a comparably low fraction of 17% of NPP was allocated to roots (fBNPP). Consequently, the main fraction of NPP was removed during harvest, turning the site into a net source of 0.29 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Conclusions Our study showed the flexibility of grass root growth patterns in response to alterations in resource availability. We conclude that highly fertilized grasslands can lose their ability for C sequestration due to low belowground C allocation.

scholarly journals Geomorphic influences on the contribution of vegetation to soil C accumulation and accretion in <i>Spartina alterniflora</i> marshes

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 379-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Elsey-Quirk ◽  
Viktoria Unger
Keyword(s):  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Coastal Plain Estuary ◽  
Labile C ◽  
Accretion Rates

Abstract. Salt marshes are important hotspots of long-term belowground carbon (C) storage, where plant biomass and allochthonous C can be preserved in the soil for thousands of years. However, C accumulation rates, as well as the sources of C, may differ depending on environmental conditions influencing plant productivity, allochthonous C deposition, and C preservation. For this study, we examined the relationship between belowground root growth, turnover, decay, above- and belowground biomass, and previously reported longer-term rates of total, labile, and refractory organic C accumulation and accretion in Spartina alterniflora-dominated marshes across two mid-Atlantic, US estuaries. Tidal range, long-term rates of mineral sedimentation, C accumulation, and accretion were higher and salinities were lower in marshes of the coastal plain estuary (Delaware Bay) than in the coastal lagoon (Barnegat Bay). We expected that the conditions promoting high rates of C accumulation would also promote high plant productivity and greater biomass. We further tested the influence of environmental conditions on belowground growth (roots + rhizomes), decomposition, and biomass of S. alterniflora. The relationship between plant biomass and C accumulation rate differed between estuaries. In the sediment-limited coastal lagoon, rates of total, labile, and refractory organic C accumulation were directly and positively related to above- and belowground biomass. Here, less flooding and a higher mineral sedimentation rate promoted greater above- and belowground biomass and, in turn, higher soil C accumulation and accretion rates. In the coastal plain estuary, the C accumulation rate was related only to aboveground biomass, which was positively related to the rate of labile C accumulation. Soil profiles indicated that live root and rhizome biomass was positively associated with labile C density for most marshes, yet high labile C densities below the live root zone and in marshes with high mineral sedimentation rates and low biomass signify the potential contribution of allochthonous C and the preservation of labile C. Overall, our findings illustrate the importance of sediment supply to marshes both for promoting positive plant-C accumulation-accretion feedbacks in geomorphic settings where mineral sediment is limiting and for promoting allochthonous inputs and preservation of labile C leading to high C accumulation and accretion rates in geomorphic settings where sediment supply is abundant.

scholarly journals Geomorphic influences on the contribution of vegetation to soil C accumulation and accretion in <i>Spartina alterniflora</i> marshes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Elsey-Quirk ◽  
Viktoria Unger
Keyword(s):  
Spartina Alterniflora ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Accretion Rates ◽  
Biomass Dynamics

Abstract. Environmental conditions have a strong influence on rates plant productivity and decomposition. In salt marshes, hydrology and salinity are important regulators of plant and soil processes, which, in turn, can influence the rate at which marsh ecosystems accumulate C and adjust to sea-level rise. For this study, we examined the influence of multivariate environmental conditions on belowground ingrowth (roots + rhizomes), decomposition and biomass in marshes dominated by Spartina alterniflora across two estuaries and a range of geomorphic settings. Secondly, we examined the influence of belowground plant biomass to soil C density, and C (labile and refractory) accumulation and accretion rates. Study locations occupied a full range of tidal elevations from below mean low water to above mean high water. Salinities ranged from 7–40, and soil properties also varied across marshes. While many of the environmental parameters were correlated across marshes, belowground ingrowth of S. alterniflora was negatively influenced by mean low water height, such that root growth increased with more drainage. Belowground decay rate increased with increasing salinity, but ultimately the percent of mass remaining was similar across marshes, averaging 59 ± 1 %. Above- and belowground biomass dynamics were estuary-dependent. In the coastal lagoon estuary, less flooding and a higher sedimentation rate favored above-and belowground biomass, which, in turn, increased soil C accumulation and accretion rates. Biomass dynamics in the coastal plain estuary, for the most part, were unrelated to environmental predictor variables, and had little influence on the accumulation of soil C or accretion rate. These findings indicate that mineral sedimentation is of utmost importance for promoting belowground biomass and soil C accumulation in sediment-limited systems while in minerogenic systems, belowground biomass may not scale with C accumulation and accretion, which may be influenced more by smaller submillimetre-sized C particles.

scholarly journals Conditioned soils reveal plant-selected microbial communities that impact plant drought response

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Monohon ◽  
Daniel K. Manter ◽  
Jorge M. Vivanco
Keyword(s):  
Drought Stress ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Microbial Community Composition ◽  
Defense Responses ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Plant Tolerance ◽  
Abiotic Stress Response ◽  
Two Generations ◽  
Drought Resistant

AbstractRhizobacterial communities can contribute to plant trait expression and performance, including plant tolerance against abiotic stresses such as drought. The conditioning of microbial communities related to disease resistance over generations has been shown to develop suppressive soils which aid in plant defense responses. Here, we applied this concept for the development of drought resistant soils. We hypothesized that soils conditioned under severe drought stress and tomato cultivation over two generations, will allow for plant selection of rhizobacterial communities that provide plants with improved drought resistant traits. Surprisingly, the plants treated with a drought-conditioned microbial inoculant showed significantly decreased plant biomass in two generations of growth. Microbial community composition was significantly different between the inoculated and control soils within each generation (i.e., microbial history effect) and for the inoculated soils between generations (i.e., conditioning effect). These findings indicate a substantial effect of conditioning soils on the abiotic stress response and microbial recruitment of tomato plants undergoing drought stress.

scholarly journals Nitrogen availability controls plant carbon storage with warming

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guiyao Zhou ◽  
César Terrer ◽  
Bruce Hungate ◽  
Natasja van Gestel ◽  
Xuhui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
C:N Ratio ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Soil N ◽  
C Storage ◽  
Induced Changes

Abstract Plants may slow global warming through enhanced growth, because increased levels of photosynthesis stimulate the land carbon (C) sink. However, the key drivers determining responses of plants to warming remain unclear, causing uncertainty in climate projections. Using meta- analysis, we show that the effect of experimental warming on plant biomass is best explained by soil nitrogen (N) availability. Warming-induced changes in total, aboveground and belowground biomass all positively correlated with soil C:N ratio, an indicator of soil N availability. In factorial N × warming experiments, warming increased plant biomass more strongly under low N than under high N availability. Together, these results suggest that warming stimulates plant C storage most strongly in ecosystems where N limits plant growth. Thus, incorporating the soil N status of ecosystems into Earth system models may improve predictions of future carbon-climate feedbacks.

scholarly journals High Productivity Makes Mangroves Potentially Important Players in the Tropical Silicon Cycle

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elani B. Elizondo ◽  
Joanna C. Carey ◽  
Alia N. Al-Haj ◽  
Ariel E. Lugo ◽  
Robinson W. Fulweiler
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Avicennia Germinans ◽  
Terrestrial Plants ◽  
Mangrove Species ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Salt

Over the last two decades, recognition of the important role terrestrial plants play in regulating silicon (Si) cycling has emerged. Si improves plant fitness by protecting them from abiotic (e.g., desiccation) and biotic (e.g., fungal attack) stressors. Once incorporated into plant biomass this biogenic Si is more bio-available than the lithogenic material from which it was ultimately derived. Thus plants play a key function in regulating the amount and timing of Si availability in downstream ecosystems. Recent work has highlighted the importance of salt marshes in the temperate Si cycle. However, the role of their tropical counterparts, mangroves, has largely gone unexplored. Here we report foliar concentrations of plant Si (as %Si by dry weight) for four Caribbean mangrove species: Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood), Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), Avicennia germinans (black mangrove), and Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove). Overall, the median Si concentration was low (0.07%) and did not vary among plant part (e.g., foliage, twig, and propagule). There was also little variation in Si among species. Using literature values of aboveground net primary production, and the concentrations reported here, we estimate an aboveground mangrove Si uptake rate of 2–10 kg Si ha–1 year–1. These rates are on par with rates reported for temperate and boreal forests as well as low nutrient salt marshes, but lower than estimates for high nutrient salt marshes. Thus, despite the low Si concentrations observed in mangroves, their high productivity appears to make them a hot spot of Si cycling in tropical coastal systems.

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