Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper
In the present climate emergency due to global warming, we are urged to move away from fossil fuels and pursue a speedy conversion to renewable energy systems. Consequently, copper (Cu) will remain in high demand because it is a highly efficient conductor used in clean energy systems to generate pow...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Toxics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/5/237 |
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| author | Estefanía Milla-Moreno Robert Dean Guy Raju Y. Soolanayakanahally |
| author_facet | Estefanía Milla-Moreno Robert Dean Guy Raju Y. Soolanayakanahally |
| author_sort | Estefanía Milla-Moreno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the present climate emergency due to global warming, we are urged to move away from fossil fuels and pursue a speedy conversion to renewable energy systems. Consequently, copper (Cu) will remain in high demand because it is a highly efficient conductor used in clean energy systems to generate power from solar, hydro, thermal and wind energy across the world. Chile is the global leader in copper production, but this position has resulted in Chile having several hundred tailing deposits. We grew two Chilean native hardwood species, quillay (<i>Quillaja saponaria</i> Molina) and espino (<i>Vachellia caven</i> (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger, under three increasing Cu levels (0, 50, and 100 µM) for 6 months in a greenhouse setting. We measured growth, photosynthetic performance and elemental contents of leaves and roots to further evaluate their potential for phytoremediation. Growth of quillay was unaffected by Cu treatment but growth of espino was enhanced, as was its photosynthetic performance, indicating that espino may have an unusually high requirement for copper. Excess Cu was mostly restricted to the roots of both species, where X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping indicated some tendency for Cu to accumulate in tissues outside the periderm. Calcium oxalate crystals were prominently visible in XRF images of both species. Nickel (but not Cu) showed a concurrent distribution pattern with these crystals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:41:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-138774086d104e89927d37788fae4458 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2305-6304 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:41:58Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Toxics |
| spelling | doaj.art-138774086d104e89927d37788fae44582023-11-23T13:21:39ZengMDPI AGToxics2305-63042022-05-0110523710.3390/toxics10050237Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess CopperEstefanía Milla-Moreno0Robert Dean Guy1Raju Y. Soolanayakanahally2Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Forest Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaDepartment of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Forest Sciences Centre, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaIndian Head Research Farm, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Indian Head, SK S0G 2K0, CanadaIn the present climate emergency due to global warming, we are urged to move away from fossil fuels and pursue a speedy conversion to renewable energy systems. Consequently, copper (Cu) will remain in high demand because it is a highly efficient conductor used in clean energy systems to generate power from solar, hydro, thermal and wind energy across the world. Chile is the global leader in copper production, but this position has resulted in Chile having several hundred tailing deposits. We grew two Chilean native hardwood species, quillay (<i>Quillaja saponaria</i> Molina) and espino (<i>Vachellia caven</i> (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger, under three increasing Cu levels (0, 50, and 100 µM) for 6 months in a greenhouse setting. We measured growth, photosynthetic performance and elemental contents of leaves and roots to further evaluate their potential for phytoremediation. Growth of quillay was unaffected by Cu treatment but growth of espino was enhanced, as was its photosynthetic performance, indicating that espino may have an unusually high requirement for copper. Excess Cu was mostly restricted to the roots of both species, where X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping indicated some tendency for Cu to accumulate in tissues outside the periderm. Calcium oxalate crystals were prominently visible in XRF images of both species. Nickel (but not Cu) showed a concurrent distribution pattern with these crystals.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/5/237synchrotron radiationphotosynthesisnative speciestailingsChile |
| spellingShingle | Estefanía Milla-Moreno Robert Dean Guy Raju Y. Soolanayakanahally Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper Toxics synchrotron radiation photosynthesis native species tailings Chile |
| title | Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper |
| title_full | Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper |
| title_fullStr | Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper |
| title_short | Enlightening the Pathway of Phytoremediation: Ecophysiology and X-ray Fluorescence Visualization of Two Chilean Hardwoods Exposed to Excess Copper |
| title_sort | enlightening the pathway of phytoremediation ecophysiology and x ray fluorescence visualization of two chilean hardwoods exposed to excess copper |
| topic | synchrotron radiation photosynthesis native species tailings Chile |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6304/10/5/237 |
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