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Lead Exclusion and Copper Translocation in Black Spruce Needles

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Abstract

Current-year, 1-year-old, and 2-year-old needles were collected separately on 37 black spruce (Picea mariana Mill. B.S.P.) trees located on a heavy metal contamination gradient around the smelter in Murdochville, Québec (Canada). Needles were analyzed separately by year for the concentrations of Pb and Cu, a nonessential and an essential metal, respectively. Lead concentrations increased significantly with needle age in the highly contaminated area near the smelter. In contrast, Cu concentrations decreased with needle age in the same area. Our results support the hypothesis that the passive sequestration of toxic metals in the senescing foliage is a detoxification process contrasting with the active translocation of essential metals in the nonsenescent part of the foliage.

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Acknowledgements

We are greatly indebted to M. Aubert, B. Cherbuy, O. Ndzangou, and R. Ouimet for their help during the field work. We also thank R. Rodrigues for the technical assistance and T. Clark for the editing revisions. Funding was provided by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune du Québec.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau, Terre & Environnement, 490, de la Couronne, Québec, QC, Canada, G1K 9A9

    J.-C. Aznar, M. Richer-Laflèche & Y. Bégin

  2. Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, 490, rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, Canada, G1K 9A9

    C. Bégin

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  1. J.-C. Aznar
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  2. M. Richer-Laflèche
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  3. C. Bégin
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  4. Y. Bégin
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Correspondence to J.-C. Aznar.

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Aznar, JC., Richer-Laflèche, M., Bégin, C. et al. Lead Exclusion and Copper Translocation in Black Spruce Needles. Water Air Soil Pollut 203, 139–145 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-9997-8

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