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Prosopis pubescens (Screw Bean Mesquite) Seedlings are Hyperaccumulators of Copper

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Abstract

Due to health reasons, toxic metals must be removed from soils contaminated by mine tailings and smelter activities. The phytoremediation potential of Prosopis pubescens (screw bean mesquite) was examined by use of inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe ultrastructural changes of parenchymal cells of leaves in the presence of copper. Elemental analysis was used to localize copper within leaves. A 600-ppm copper sulfate exposure to seedlings for 24 days resulted in 31,000 ppm copper in roots, 17,000 ppm in stems, 11,000 in cotyledons and 20 ppm in the true leaves. For a plant to be considered a hyperaccumulator, the plant must accumulate a leaf-to-root ratio <1. Screw bean mesquite exposed to copper had a leaf-to-root ratio of 0.355 when cotyledons were included. We showed that P. pubescens grown in soil is a hyperaccumulator of copper. We recommend that this plant should be field tested.

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Acknowledgments

This research was primarily undertaken in the Analytical Cytology Core Facility, partially funded by the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC), the University of Texas at El Paso, National Institute of Minority Health Disparities (NIMHD Grant No. 8G12MD007592). For copper and nutrient assessment, ICP-OES equipment in the Chemistry Department was used (National Science Foundation Grant No. CHE-0840525 and United States Department of Agriculture Grant No. 2011-38422-30835). This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation and the USEPA under Cooperative Agreement No. DBI-0830117. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the investigator(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the USEPA. This work has not undergone USEPA review, and no official endorsement should be inferred. J. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey acknowledges the Dudley family for the Endowed Research Professorship in Chemistry. M. N. Zappala received funding from the Howard-UTEP Alliance for Graduate Education Program (HUTEP-AGEP), NSF Grant No. HRD-0832951. Undergraduate students who provided electron micrographs under the supervision of Joanne T. Ellzey included Alma Cortes and Karla Viramontes. Special thanks to Ted Whitworth for his help in obtaining electron micrographs. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the BBRC or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Science and Engineering PhD Program, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Marian N. Zappala, Joanne T. Ellzey, Jose R. Peralta-Videa & Jorge Gardea-Torresdey

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Marian N. Zappala & Joanne T. Ellzey

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Jose R. Peralta-Videa & Jorge Gardea-Torresdey

  4. Statistical Consulting Laboratory, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Julia Bader

Authors
  1. Marian N. Zappala
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  2. Joanne T. Ellzey
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  4. Jose R. Peralta-Videa
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  5. Jorge Gardea-Torresdey
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Correspondence to Joanne T. Ellzey.

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Zappala, M.N., Ellzey, J.T., Bader, J. et al. Prosopis pubescens (Screw Bean Mesquite) Seedlings are Hyperaccumulators of Copper. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 65, 212–223 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-013-9904-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-013-9904-6

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