Chapter 1 The Biosphere Chapter 2 The Anthroposphere Introduction Air Pollution Water Pollution Soil Plants Chapter 3 Soils and Soil Processes Introduction Weathering Processes Pedogenic Processes Chapter 4 Soil Constituents Introduction Trace Elements Minerals Organic Matter Organisms in Soils Chapter 5 Trace Elements in Plants Introduction Absorption Translocation Availability Essentiality and Deficiency Toxicity and Tolerance Speciation Interaction Chapter 6 Elements of Group 1 (Previously Group Ia) Introduction Lithium Rubidium Cesium Chapter 7 Elements of Group 2 (Previously Group IIa) Beryllium Strontium Barium Radium Chapter 8 Elements of Group 3 (Previously Group IIIb) Scandium Yttrium Lanthanides Actinides Chapter 9 Elements of Group 4 (Previously Group IVb) Titanium Zirconium Hafnium Chapter 10 Elements of Group 5 (Previously Group Vb) Vanadium Niobium Tantalum Chapter 11 Elements of Group 6 (Previously Group VIb) Chromium Molybdenum Tungsten Chapter 12 Elements of Group 7 (Previously Group VIIb) Manganese Technetium Rhenium Chapter 13 Elements of Group 8 (Previously Part of Group VIII) Iron Ruthenium Osmium Chapter 14 Elements of Group 9 (Previously Part of Group VIII) Cobalt Rhodium Iridium Chapter 15 Elements of Group 10 (Previously Part of Group VIII) Nickel Palladium Platinum Chapter 16 Elements of Group 11 (Previously Group Ib) Copper Silver Gold Chapter 17 Trace Elements of Group 12 (Previously of Group IIb) Zinc Cadmium Mercury Chapter 18 Elements of Group 13 (Previously Group IIIa) Boron Aluminum Gallium Indium Thallium Chapter 19 Elements of Group I4 (Previously Group IVa) Silicon Germanium Tin Lead Chapter 20 Elements of Group 15 (Previously Group Va) Arsenic Antimony Bismuth Chapter 21 Elements of Group 16 (Previously Group VIa) Selenium Tellurium Polonium Chapter 22 Elements of Group 17 (Previously Group VIIa) Fluorine Chlorine Bromine Iodine

Trace elements in soils and plants

Preface.- Contributors.- List of Abbreviations.- Section 1: Basic Principles: Introduction.-Sources of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Chemistry of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Methods for the Determination of Heavy Metals and Metalloids in Soils.- Effects of Heavy Metals and Metalloids on Soil Organisms.- Soil-Plant Relationships of Heavy Metals and Metalloids.- Heavy Metals and Metalloids as Micronutrients for Plants and Animals.-Critical Loads of Heavy Metals for Soils.- Section 2: Key Heavy Metals And Metalloids: Arsenic.- Cadmium.- Chromium and Nickel.- Cobalt and Manganese.- Copper.-Lead.- Mercury.- Selenium.- Zinc.- Section 3: Other Heavy Metals And Metalloids Of Potential Environmental Significance: Antimony.- Barium.- Gold.- Molybdenum.- Silver.- Thallium.- Tin.- Tungsten.- Uranium.- Vanadium.- Glossary of Specialized Terms.- Index.

Heavy metals in soils : trace metals and metalloids in soils and their bioavailability

. Uptake of phytotoxic amounts of metal by higher plants or algae can result in inhibition of several enzymes, and in increase in activity (= induction) of others. Two mechanisms of enzyme inhibition predominate: (1) binding of the metal to sulphydryl groups, involved in the catalytic actionor structural integrity of enzymes, and (2) deficiency of an essential metal in metalloproteins or metal-protein complexes, eventually combined with substitution of the toxic metal for the deficient element. Metal accumulation in the cellular compartment of the enzyme is a prerequisite for enzyme inhibition in vivo. The induction of some enzymes is considered to play a significant role in the stress metabolism, induced by metal phytotoxicity. Peroxidase induction is likely to be related to oxidative reactions at the biomembrane; several enzymes of the intermediary metabolism might be stimulated to compensate for metal-sensitive photosynthetic reactions. The induction of enzymes and metal-specific changes in isoperoxidase pattern can be used as diagnostic criteria to evaluate the phytotoxicity of soils, contaminated by several metals. Lines for future research on metal phytotoxicity are proposed, involving the study of inhibition and induction of enzymes at the different cell membranes (especially the plasmamembrane) in vivo.

Effects of metals on enzyme activity in plants

Copper is an essential metal for normal plant growth and development, although it is also potentially toxic. Copper participates in numerous physiological processes and is an essential cofactor for many metalloproteins, however, problems arise when excess copper is present in cells. Excess copper inhibits plant growth and impairs important cellular processes (i.e., photosynthetic electron transport). Since copper is both an essential cofactor and a toxic element, involving a complex network of metal trafficking pathways, different strategies have evolved in plants to appropriately regulate its homeostasis as a function of the environmental copper level. Such strategies must prevent accumulation of the metal in the freely reactive form (metal detoxification pathways) and ensure proper delivery of this element to target metalloproteins. The mechanisms involved in the acquisition of this essential micronutrient have not been clearly defined although a number of genes have recently been identified which encode potential copper transporters. This review gives a briefly overview of the current understanding of the more important features concerning copper toxicity and tolerance in plants, and brings information of recent findings on copper trafficking including copper detoxification factors, copper transporters and copper chaperones.

Copper in plants

Heavy metal contamination of soil and water causing toxicity/stress has become one important constraint to crop productivity and quality. This situation has further worsened by the increasing population growth and inherent food demand. It have been reported in several studies that counterbalancing toxicity, due to heavy metal requires complex mechanisms at molecular, biochemical, physiological, cellular, tissue and whole plant level, which might manifest in terms of improved crop productivity. Recent advances in various disciplines of biological sciences such as metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics etc. have assisted in the characterization of metabolites, transcription factors, stress-inducible proteins involved in heavy metal tolerance, which in turn can be utilized for generating heavy metal tolerant crops. This review summarizes various tolerance strategies of plants under heavy metal toxicity, covering the role of metabolites (metabolomics), trace elements (ionomics), transcription factors (transcriptomics), various stress-inducible proteins (proteomics) as well as the role of plant hormones. We also provide a glance at strategies adopted by metal accumulating plants also known as “metallophytes”.

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Heavy Metal Tolerance in Plants: Role of Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Ionomics.

Tomato plants (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. cv. Moneymaker) grown on nutrient medium containing cadmium exhibit reduced net photosynthesis and reduced contents of chlorophyll and accessory pigments. In chloroplasts isolated from cadmiumtreated plants photosystem II activity, as measured by 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol photoreduction, and photosystem II + I activity (H2O methyl viologen) were both inhibited to about 60%. When 1,5-diphenylcarbazide was used as artificial electron donor, no significant cadmium effect was observed. Photosystem I activity was not affected by cadmium. The fine structure of chloroplasts in cadmium-treated plants was degenerated, similarly to senescence response. The principal symptom of cadmium action was the occurrence of large plastoglobules and a disorganization of the lamellar structure, mainly grana stacks. Transfer of cadmium-treated plants into a medium with increased manganese level caused grana stacking and restoration of photosystem II activity.

Photosynthetic activities of cadmium-treated tomato plants

Photosynthetic Apparatus of Spinach Exposed to Excess Copper

The effect of copper deficiency on the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants

The effect of magnesium dificiency on photochemical activities of rape and buckwheat chloroplasts

The relationship between the structure and the function of chloroplasts of aging tobacco leaves was studied. From the observations of chloroplast structure in electron microscope, the results of other authors concerning earlier degradation of stroma lamellae in comparison with grana were confirmed. It was shown that this process is accompanied by changes in the content of galactolipids (in the first place MGDG) and earlier decomposition of chlorophyll-protein-complex I. This resulted in decrease of photosynthetic activity of leaves and earlier disappearance of Photosystem I activity.

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Danuta Wolińska

Papers

Photosynthetic activities of cadmium-treated tomato plants

Photosynthetic Apparatus of Spinach Exposed to Excess Copper

The effect of copper deficiency on the photosynthetic apparatus of higher plants

The effect of magnesium dificiency on photochemical activities of rape and buckwheat chloroplasts

Functional and structural changes in chloroplasts of senescent tobacco leaves