Reactions of tree fine roots to soils with high heavy metal contents

What's  this?

This is a project within the "Cell-to-Tree" framework, which is a "multidisciplinary model ecosystem experiment" carried out at the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL between 2000 and 2004 to assess the potential of phytoremediation of trace metal contaminated soils with trees. This framework aims to investigate the fluxes in model ecosystem chambers and to trace and better understand the reactions of the plants and associated organisms to the chronic influence of important soil pollutants (Zn, Cu, Cd) and rain acidity. This framework is intended to improve the accuracy of the estimation of benefit and risk when polluted soils, dumps and deponies are regreened/reforested and stabilised by so-called "phytoremediation".

Objectives

• In this study we investigate the reactions of fine roots of spruce and poplar to enhanced heavy metal contents in the soil. Soil cores are sampled once or twice a year and the fine roots sieved or sorted out. Parameters which are measured in the fine roots are heavy metal and other element concentrations, protein concentrations, and the activity of the peroxidases. With in-growth cores we intend to measure growth and architecture of newly derived fine roots. Parallel to these investigations, other groups investigate further fine root features using the microscope or the SEM-EDX. Sampled soils are investigated by soil chemists and microbiologists.
• The birches were inoculated with a specific strain of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Paxillus involutus. We intend together with other groups to investigate their mycorrhizas in order to localise and quantify the heavy metals on a subcellular level using STEM-EDX.

Status of the project

The project has been finished.

Publication

Brunner I, Luster J, Günthardt-Goerg MS, Frey B. 2008. Heavy metal accumulation and phytostabilisation potential of tree fine roots in a contaminated soil. Environmental Pollution 152, 559-568.

Kontakt

• Ivano Brunner