ARSENIC PHYTOEXTRACTION by Pteris Vittata L

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ARSENIC PHYTOEXTRACTION by Pteris Vittata L EFFECTS OF SOIL AND PLANT ON ARSENIC ACCUMULATION BY ARSENIC HYPERACCUMULATOR Pteris vittata L By MARIA ISIDORIA SILVA GONZAGA A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2006 Copyright 2006 By Maria Isidoria Silva Gonzaga To the memory of my father Henrique, whose love and inspiration have accompanied me through the years; to my mother Ines who, together with my father, gave me all the values that guide my life; and to my kids Jamile, Thomas and Genna, the best fruits of my existence. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my supervisory committee chair (Dr. Lena Q. Ma) for providing valuable academic advices, critical support and guidance during my graduate study. I thank my supervisory committee members (Jean-Claude Bonzongo, Nicholas B. Comerford, Robert Stamps, and Roy Dean Rhue) for their assistance and advice. I also wish to especially thank Dr. Nick Comerford for helping me apply to the University of Florida and also for helping me and my family during our first few days in Gainesville. Special thanks also go to Dr. Jean-Claude Bonzongo for his advisement and valuable friendship. I am grateful for the assistance and support of my husband, Dr. Jorge Santos, who provided experimental and statistical advice and also helped in conducting my experiments. I am grateful to Mr. Tom Luongo for his assistance with chemical analysis and proofreading manuscripts; to Dr. Mristunjai Srivastava for his assistance in providing fern plants and proofreading manuscripts; to Dr. John Thomas for his friendship and for proofreading manuscripts; and Mr. Bill Reeve, for his friendship and help with chemical analyses. I also wish to thank the members of the Biogeochemistry of Trace Metals Laboratory (Gina Kertulius-Tartar, Abioye Fayiga, Joonki Yoon, Rocky Cao, Mike Tu, and Autumm Wan), for what they have taught me. I thank Mrs. Marlin Pam for her help and patience. I would like to acknowledge the Brazilian institution (CAPES) for providing financial support during my Ph.D. program. I am grateful to Dr. Paulo Gabriel Nacif (and iv members of the Soil Chemistry Department of the Agronomy School, at the Federal University of Bahia) for granting me permission to pursue my degree. I also thank Dr. Joelito Rezende for all the encouragement and help, keeping me in the scientific life. v TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................4 Arsenic..........................................................................................................................4 Occurrence, Availability and Toxicity ..................................................................4 Remediation of Arsenic Contaminated Soils ........................................................6 Phytoremediation..........................................................................................................7 Phytoextraction......................................................................................................7 Phytostabilization ..................................................................................................8 Phytoimobilization ................................................................................................8 Phytovolatilization.................................................................................................9 Phytoextraction of Arsenic ...........................................................................................9 Hyperaccumulator Plants............................................................................................13 Arsenic Hyperaccumulation by Pteris vittata .....................................................16 Arsenic Species in Pteris vittata..........................................................................18 Arsenic Tolerance and Detoxification Mechanisms............................................19 Effects of Heavy Metals on Arsenic Hyperaccumulation ...................................21 Effect of Phosphate on Arsenic Hyperaccumulation...........................................22 Mycorrhizae Association and its Role in Arsenic Hyperaccumulation...............24 3 ARSENIC ACCUMULATION BY Pteris vittata L FROM ARSENIC CONTAMINATED SOILS........................................................................................27 Introduction.................................................................................................................27 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................29 Soil Collection and Characterization...................................................................29 Experimental Design and Statistical Analyses....................................................29 vi Experimental Set up ............................................................................................29 Sampling, Digestion and Analysis ......................................................................31 Arsenic Fractionation ..........................................................................................31 Single Extractions................................................................................................32 Results and Discussion ...............................................................................................33 Plant Growth........................................................................................................33 Arsenic Concentrations in the Frond Biomass ....................................................36 Plant Arsenic Removal from Soils ......................................................................38 Soil Arsenic Distribution.....................................................................................39 Comparison of Extractable Arsenic Using Single Extraction Methods ..............44 Plant uptake and Arsenic Availability in Soils as Measured by Single Extractants........................................................................................................44 4 EFFECTS OF PLANT AGE ON THE ARSENIC ACCUMULATION BY THE HYPERACCUMULATION Pteris vittata L..............................................................49 Introduction.................................................................................................................49 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................50 Plant Propagation.................................................................................................50 Soil Characterization ...........................................................................................50 Experimental Design ...........................................................................................51 Chemical Analysis...............................................................................................52 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................53 Results and Discussion ...............................................................................................53 Arsenic Uptake ....................................................................................................53 Plant Biomass ......................................................................................................56 Phosphorus Distribution in the Plants .................................................................56 Concentrations of Other Nutrients in Plants........................................................59 5 ARSENIC ACCUMULATION AND ROOT CHARACTERISTICS OF Pteris vittata L. AND Nephrolepis exaltata L ......................................................................63 Introduction.................................................................................................................63 Materials and Methods ...............................................................................................66 Soil Characterization ...........................................................................................66 Experimental Set up ............................................................................................66 Root Measurement...............................................................................................68 Chemical Analysis...............................................................................................69 Arsenic Fractionation ..........................................................................................69 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................70 Results and Discussion ...............................................................................................70
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