Abstract
The industrially damaged lands around the smelters of Sudbury are inhabited by several species of plants that can tolerate high levels of toxic metals (Hogan and Rauser 1978; Cox and Hutchinson 1980). One of these plants, the sweet lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), has colonized large areas of the smelter-affected area. It is particularly abundant within the birch transition forest described in the previous chapter (Chapter 18). This chapter reviews the attributes of V. angustifolium that made it successful in the Sudbury industrially damaged lands. There are actually two species of blueberry near Sudbury, V. angustifolium and V. myrtilloides, of which V. angustifolium is the more common of the two. Although they are similar (see descriptions of each in Vander Kloet [1988]) and grow in the same habitats, care was taken to restrict our studies to V. angustifolium.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alstad, D.N., G.F.J. Edmunds, and L.H. Weinstein. 1982. Effects of air pollutants on insect populations. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 27:369–384.
Archambault, D.J.-P. 1991. Metal tolerance studies on populations of Agrostis scabra Willd. (tickle grass) from the Sudbury area. M.Sc. thesis, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario.
Bagatto, G., and J.D. Shorthouse. 1991. Accumulation of copper and nickel in plant tissues and an insect gall of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, near an ore smelter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Can. J. Bot. 69:1483–1490.
Baker, A.J.M. 1987. Metal tolerance. New Phytol. 106 (Suppl.):93–111.
Barkan, V.S., M.S. Smetannikova, R P. Pankratova, and A.V. Silina. 1993. Nickel and copper accumulation by edible forest berries in surroundings of “Severonikel” smelter complex, pp. 189–196. In Aerial Pollution in Kola Peninsula. Proceedings of the International Workshop, April 14–16, 1992, St. Petersburg, Russia. Kola Scientific Center, Apatity, Russia.
Bradshaw, A.D. 1972. Some evolutionary conse- quences of being a plant. Evol. Biol. 5:25–47.
Burns, L.V., and G.H. Parker. 1988. Metal burdens in two species of fiddleheads growing near the ore smelters at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 40:717–723.
Cataldo, D.A., T.R. Garland, and R.E. Wildung. 1978. Nickel in plants. II. Distribution and chemical form in soybean plants. Plant Physiol. 62: 566–570.
Cox, R.M., and T.C. Hutchinson. 1980. Multiple metal tolerances in the grass Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv. from the Sudbury smelting area. New Phytol. 84:631–647.
Freedman, B., and T.C. Hutchinson. 1980a. Pollutant inputs from the atmosphere and accumulations in soils and vegetation near a nickel-copper smelter at Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Can. J. Bot. 58:108–132.
Freedman, B., and T.C. Hutchinson. 1980b. Longterm effects of smelter pollution at Sudbury, Ontario, on forest community composition. Can. J. Bot. 58:2123–2140.
Freedman, B., and T.C. Hutchinson. 1981. Sources of metal and contamination of terrestrial environments, pp. 35–94. In N.W. Lepp (ed.). Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Plants. Applied Science Publishers, London.
Hall, I.V., L.E. Aalders, N.L. Nickerson, and S.P. Van-der Kloet. 1979. The biological flora of Canada. I. Vaccinium angustifolium Ait., sweet lowbush blueberry. Can. Field. Naturalist 93:414–430.
Hall, I.V., L.E. Aalders, and L.R. Townsend. 1964. The effects of soil pH on the mineral composition and growth of the lowbush blueberry. Can. J. Plant Sci. 44:433–438.
Hogan, G.D., and W.E. Raiser. 1978. Tolerance and toxicity of cobalt, copper, nickel and in zinc clones of Agrostis gigantea. New Phytol. 83:665–670.
Hutchinson, T.C., and L.D. Whitby. 1974. Heavy metal pollution in the Sudbury mining and smelting region of Canada. 1. Soil and vegetation contamination by nickel, copper and other metals. Environ. Conserv. 1:123–132.
Hutchinson, T.C., and L.M. Whitby. 1977. The effects of rainfall and heavy metal particulates on a boreal forest ecosystem near the Sudbury smelting region of Canada. Water Air Soil Pollut. 7: 421–438.
Ingestad, T. 1973. Mineral nutrient requirements of Vaccinium vitis idaea and V. myrtillus. Physiol. Plant. 29:239–246.
Jones, M.D., and T.C. Hutchinson. 1986. The effect of mycorrhizal infection on the response of Betula papyrifera to nickel and copper. New Phytol. 102: 429–442.
Lobersli, E.M., and E. Steinnes. 1988. Metal uptake in plants from a birch forest area near a copper smelter in Norway. Water Air Soil Pollut. 37:25–39.
Lozano, F.C., and I.K. Morrison. 1981. Disruption of hardwood nutrition by sulfur dioxide, nickel, and copper air pollution near Sudbury, Canada. J. Environ. Qual. 10:198–204.
Marschner, H. 1986. Mineral Nutrition in Higher Plants. Academic Press, London.
Peterson, L.A., E.J. Stang, and M.N. Dana. 1988. Blueberry response to NH4-N and NO3-N. J. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 113:9–12.
Rauser, W.E., and E.K. Winterhalder. 1984. Evaluation of copper, nickel, and zinc tolerances in four grass species. Can. J. Bot. 63:58–63.
Riemer, J., and J.B. Whittaker. 1989. Air pollution and insect herbivores: observed interactions and possible mechanisms, pp. 73–105 In E.A Bemays (ed.). Insect Plant Interactions. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Robson, A.D., and D.J. Reuter. 1981. Diagnosis of copper deficiency and toxicity, pp. 287–312. In J.F. Loneragan, A.D. Robson, and R.D. Graham (eds.). Copper in Soils and Plants. Academic Press, London.
Sheppard, S.C. 1991. A field and literature survey, with interpretation, of elemental concentrations in blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). Can. J. Bot. 69: 63–77.
Shorthouse, J.D., A. West, R.W. Landry, and P.D. Thibodeau. 1986. Structural damage by female Hemadas nubilipennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) as a factor in gall induction on lowbush blueberry. Can. Entomol. 118:249–254.
Taylor, G.J., and A.A. Crowder. 1983. Uptake and accumulation of heavy metals by Typha latifolia in wetlands of the Sudbury, Ontario region. Can. J. Bot. 61:63–73.
Tomsett, A.B., and D.A. Thurman. 1988. Molecular biology of metal tolerance of plants. Plant Cell. Environ. 11:383–394.
Trevett, M.F. 1956. Observations on the Decline and Rehabilitation of Lowbush Blueberry Fields. Miscellaneous Publication 626. Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, Orono, ME.
Van der Kloet, S. R. 1988. The Genus Vaccinium in North America. Agriculture Canada Publication 1828. Ministry of Supply and Services, Ottawa.
West, A., and J.D. Shorthouse. 1989. Initiation and development of the stem gall induced by Hemadas nubilipennis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) on lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium (Ericaceae). Can. J. Bot. 67:2187–2198.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shorthouse, J.D., Bagatto, G. (1995). Potential Role of Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) in Colonizing Metal-Contaminated Ecosystems. In: Gunn, J.M. (eds) Restoration and Recovery of an Industrial Region. Springer Series on Environmental Management. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2520-1_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2520-1_19
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7568-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2520-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive