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Occurrence, fate, and transport of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in an alkaline rhizosphere soil-plant (Maize, Zea mays L.) system: the role of Bacillus subtilis

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Abstract

Utilization of microbes is one of the most promising methods to remediate potentially toxic metals (PTMs) from soil. In this study, a systematic investigation was conducted to study the influence of Bacillus subtilis on PTMs occurrence, fractionation, translocation, and accumulation in the rhizosphere soil of Maize (Zea mays L.) in pot experiments. B. subtilis showed strong effects on the fate and mobility of Pb, Sb, Ni, Zn, Cu, and Cr, and it also affected PTMs’ distribution in the rhizosphere soil, maize growth, and microbial community structure. Results showed that it was easier for Zn to accumulate in maize roots than other PTMs. According to chemical fractionation, B. subtilis tended to immobilize Pb, Sb, Ni, Zn, and Cu in the rhizosphere soil. Compared with other PTMs, Cr tended to be more available and more mobile, which indicated a higher health risk to the eco-environment. These findings suggested that B. subtilis could be used as a geomicrobiological stabilizer to immobilize PTMs (Pb, Sb, Ni, Cu, Zn) in alkaline soils and decrease their uptake by plants, thus reducing the risks of a potential transfer into the food chain.

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Funding

The authors received financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41471420, 41877517), the project of International Science and Technology Innovation and Cooperation Base of Shaanxi Province (2018GHJD-16), the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (2015JM4124), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (GK201701010, GK 200902024, and GK201402032).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199 Chang’an South Street, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710062, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoping Li, Yue Cai, Dongying Liu, Yuwei Ai, Meng Zhang, Yu Gao, Yuchao Zhang, Xu Zhang & Bin Liu

  2. International Joint Research Centre of Shaanxi Province for Pollutant Exposure and Eco-environmental Health, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710062, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoping Li, Yue Cai, Dongying Liu, Yuwei Ai, Meng Zhang, Yu Gao, Yuchao Zhang, Xu Zhang, Xiangyang Yan, Bin Liu & Hongtao Yu

  3. School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710062, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangyang Yan

  4. School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, 21251, USA

    Hongtao Yu

  5. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Howard W. Mielke

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  1. Xiaoping Li
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  2. Yue Cai
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  3. Dongying Liu
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  4. Yuwei Ai
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  6. Yu Gao
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  8. Xu Zhang
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  9. Xiangyang Yan
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  10. Bin Liu
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  11. Hongtao Yu
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  12. Howard W. Mielke
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Contributions

Xiaoping Li conceived and designed the experiments. Dongying Liu performed the experiments, and Yue Cai organized and wrote the manuscript, Howard W. Mielke revised the manuscript. Yuwei Ai, Meng Zhang, Yu Gao, Yuchao Zhang, Xu Zhang, Xiangyang Yan, Bin Liu, and Hongtao Yu contributed the sampling, reagents, materials, and data analysis.

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Li, X., Cai, Y., Liu, D. et al. Occurrence, fate, and transport of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in an alkaline rhizosphere soil-plant (Maize, Zea mays L.) system: the role of Bacillus subtilis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 5564–5576 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-4031-6

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